Madison: "Has anyone seen my math calculator?"
Me: "No."
Darcy: "No. Where did you have it last?"
Madison: "Well, I hid it when we went on vacation so no one would steal it, and now I can't find it."
Darcy: "Wait. What? You hid it from thieves? What thief breaks into a house looking for a calculator?"
Madison: "Someone who enjoys math."
Darcy: "Did that seriously just come out of your mouth?"
Madison: "Yes, and obviously we did have a break in because I can't find my calculator. So there."
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Monday, September 12, 2016
Monday NFL recap - Week 1
Yesterday after church, I went to the gym. I thought it appropriate since that is where I was on September 11th when the planes hit the World Trade Towers. This September 11th there were only a handful of people working out in a semi-darkened gym, and apparently none of them were football fans. I had to ask for one of the televisions to be tuned to the Bucs game. I thought it a better choice than the preschool cartoon that was on the channel. Seriously? We have three NFL teams in the state, one of whom is only thirty minutes to our north, and football didn't cross the gym employees minds? Welcome back to football season!
- The 49er's weren't playing yesterday, but that didn't stop the football hosts from speculating on San Fran's backup quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, and whether or not he would have stood for the national anthem. I bet, no matter his stand, Kaepernick himself was glad his team wasn't playing until Monday.
- ESPN is one of the channels at my gym so I watched their pre-game show. They showed an excerpt of Rex Ryan's opening talk to his Buffalo Bills team on day one and his mouth was more foul than my friend SueG's. I loved how the sensors allowed the F of the word to be spoken before bleeping out the rest. Pretty much the entire speech was bleeped, and when it was over and went back to the guys at the booth, the swami, Chris Berman, said, "...that team is going to be bleeping good." Hilarious.
- Anyone else concerned about how skinny RGIII looked? Something not right there.
- First game of the season and already the NFL messed it up. Several helmet to helmet hits on Carolina's quarterback Cam Newton, the last hit one that should have gotten him pulled to the sidelines to be tested, and already we have launched an investigation. Can they ever get it right?
- Raiders coach Jack Del Rio took a chance, went for two, and won the game with 47 seconds left to play on the road against the New Orleans Saints. Gutsy move? Bonehead Move? Hello. It's Jack Del Rio. He's the king of both. And everyone loves that moves when it works. When it doesn't...everyone talks about how selfish and stupid a move it was.
- Ouch! Dallas wide receiver Terrance Williams caught the ball with twelve seconds left in the game against the New York Giants, but apparently he forgot what quarter he was in. Instead of running out of bounds to his right, even though his own teammate Dez Bryant was directly in front of him, pointing and yelling at him to get out of bounds, he ran in the opposite direction as if he truly thought he could make it down the field for a touchdown. Let's be honest. That is exactly what he thought he could do. He thought, "I'm going to be a hero and win this damn game, and I'm not playing it safe and running out of bounds." Sigh. I hear you Terrance. I get your enthusiasm. Trouble is, you've got to DO IT. You didn't. The clock continued running, the Cowboys couldn't line up in time to spike the ball, and the Giants won. Wow. Hate when that happens.
- Same thing, almost, happened with the Detroit Lions. Poor Matthew Strafford was practically having an aneurysm screaming at his wide receiver when he failed to go out of bounds to stop the clock with seconds ticking away in the fourth quarter. Luckily for the Lions, they made a field goal to win.
- Even the refs were having trouble remembering their job descriptions. In the Cleveland Browns game against Philadelphia, Eagles kicker Caleb Sturgis missed a 46 yard field goal. Or did he? One of the referees signaled it a goal, and the other referee, standing a couple feet from his co-worker, signaled it a miss. Huh? Get the ref who saw it go in some glasses. That ball was way right and nowhere in bounds.
- Best commercial - A tie between Peyton Manning calling his brother to come and watch his Direct TV Sunday NFL Ticket and Russell Wilson, Antonio Brown, and Von Miller for Xbox. I mean, Marshawn Lynch at the end, "Ya'll need to work on ya'll people skills." I laughed out loud.
Sunday, September 11, 2016
2016 - 2017 NFL Sunday Picks - week 1
Okay, here we go again. Thursday nights game was rough, tough and came down to the wire to start the season off. Didn't go so well for my start, however....
Carolina over Denver - Oops.
Atlanta over Tampa Bay - I just don't have the faith quite yet, but the Bucs seem to do better away than they do at home so maybe they will start off hot seeing as how the first two games are far from Raymond James Stadium. In the meantime, I took the Falcons.
Tennessee over Minnesota - I had it the other way until Teddy Bridgewater almost lost his leg.
Kansas City over San Diego - Toss up for me here. I went with the home team.
New Orleans over Oakland - I've heard the Raiders buzz, but like the Bucs I'll have to see it. I went with the more experienced quarterback at home.
Cincinnati over Jets - Now is the time if the Bengals want to shut up the critics.
Philadelphia over Cleveland - It's the beginning of the season so I played it safe, but deep down, deep down this could be the break the Browns have been searching for since, well, since forever.
Green Bay over Jacksonville - Now I have to root for Aaron Rodgers since he's one of my fantasy football quarterbacks. I didn't draft him, it was the computer, but hell...
Baltimore over Buffalo - Preseason doesn't mean a darn thing. The Ravens win.
Houston over Chicago - The Texans defense vs. Cutler, jeez, is he still playing?
Seattle over Miami - The Dolphins acquired some decent players in the off season, but will it mesh?
Giants over Dallas - If the Giants want to start out well, this is a big one to make a statement.
Indianapolis over Detroit - The Colts at home? I'm not a big believer yet that Andrew Luck is suffering, thus my pick.
Arizona over New England - Well, this could be that the Pats make a statement without their main man Tom Brady. Unfortunately, I had my picks locked in before Carson Palmer gave his opinion on Brady's suspension. Way to fire up an already annoyed team and leader, Palmer.
Pittsburgh over Washington - Go Steelers!
San Francisco over Los Angeles - Will anyone besides Californians even be up for this one?
Carolina over Denver - Oops.
Atlanta over Tampa Bay - I just don't have the faith quite yet, but the Bucs seem to do better away than they do at home so maybe they will start off hot seeing as how the first two games are far from Raymond James Stadium. In the meantime, I took the Falcons.
Tennessee over Minnesota - I had it the other way until Teddy Bridgewater almost lost his leg.
Kansas City over San Diego - Toss up for me here. I went with the home team.
New Orleans over Oakland - I've heard the Raiders buzz, but like the Bucs I'll have to see it. I went with the more experienced quarterback at home.
Cincinnati over Jets - Now is the time if the Bengals want to shut up the critics.
Philadelphia over Cleveland - It's the beginning of the season so I played it safe, but deep down, deep down this could be the break the Browns have been searching for since, well, since forever.
Green Bay over Jacksonville - Now I have to root for Aaron Rodgers since he's one of my fantasy football quarterbacks. I didn't draft him, it was the computer, but hell...
Baltimore over Buffalo - Preseason doesn't mean a darn thing. The Ravens win.
Houston over Chicago - The Texans defense vs. Cutler, jeez, is he still playing?
Seattle over Miami - The Dolphins acquired some decent players in the off season, but will it mesh?
Giants over Dallas - If the Giants want to start out well, this is a big one to make a statement.
Indianapolis over Detroit - The Colts at home? I'm not a big believer yet that Andrew Luck is suffering, thus my pick.
Arizona over New England - Well, this could be that the Pats make a statement without their main man Tom Brady. Unfortunately, I had my picks locked in before Carson Palmer gave his opinion on Brady's suspension. Way to fire up an already annoyed team and leader, Palmer.
Pittsburgh over Washington - Go Steelers!
San Francisco over Los Angeles - Will anyone besides Californians even be up for this one?
Friday, September 09, 2016
Dr. Ferne Price
Most of us are lucky to have childhood friends that are still in our lives. Friends who know us forward and backwards and all twisted up inside. Friends whom we have lived with, traveled with, and bunked with. Friends who have been there through thick and thin, through laughter and sadness, and births and deaths. I love that my girls get a glimpse of who their mother once was through the eyes of someone who was there.
My mother had three friends from her youth and college days with whom she kept in touch, and my brother and I got to know them too. They were as much a part of our family as those who had been born into it. One of the hardest things I had to do was give my mother's two friends the news that she had died. Now I'm dealing with, and reeling from, the news of one of her friend's death.
I don't remember when I was first introduced to Dr. LaFerne (Ferne) Price. She was tall and lean, with a deep, gravely voice, and a hand shake that meant business. As a youngster, Ferne scared me. On our way to visit her her my mother always lectured us on what we were to do, on what Ferne expected from us, and I always worried I would let my mother down. Here was a woman we were told who expected our best behavior, for us to stand straight and give her a good handshake upon our arrival, to be polite, and to frankly, abide by the old rules of children should be seen and not heard. Of course, while some of that was true, Ferne was always very interested in us first.
I was not a child who spoke up around most people (that came much later), and so it was agony knowing I would have to communicate with this imposing woman who so loved my mom. But Ferne respected us and treated us as adults. She would greet us and then ask us millions of questions about school, our activities, our friends, our interests, and our grades. She knew things about us through our mother, and she had a great memory for detail. If we whined about a problem she would question us, turn it around for us to look at it from all angles, and then suggest some ways of dealing with it. She taught us that a handshake was the most important part of meeting someone, and that a good, steady, grip could tell you everything you needed to know about a person. To this day, I still believe that, and always eye with suspicion the ones who give the dead fish handshake.
Once she had gotten what she wanted from us she and my mother would take up from where they had previously left off, no matter how much time had passed. This was fascinating to me at a young age to watch my mother become something I didn't often see, and I would pretend to read my book while listening to their conversation. Here was someone who wasn't afraid of my mother, who could wave away her biting remarks or give her a swift kick in her ass if need be. All while still loving her and accepting her for who she was. It was probably a good introduction into lifelong friendships for me.
As I got older, Ferne would pull me into a conversation if she thought I could, and should, contribute. She and my mother always had tons to talk about, and they would argue and laugh, and solve all of their problems and the world's during our visits. Between visits they burned up the phone lines talking hours upon hours to one another. They shared a love of sports, especially Indiana State University basketball, and when they were together traveling to and from California during ISU and Larry Bird's pursuit of an NCAA championship in 1979 they watched the games from wherever they could. Even if it meant befriending and sweet talking an owner of a store who ended up letting them sit and watch the game after closing on one of the televisions he sold.
Ferne loved dogs, a source of irritation to my mother because she hated it when Ferne would beg off from traveling because she couldn't find a sitter for her animals. Ferne always had more than one dog following her around, and she use to say that she preferred them over most people. She loved to garden, tomatoes were her specialty, and she once mailed a huge box of them to my mother so that she could get her fill of Indiana tomatoes.
My mother met Ferne at Indiana State University where Ferne graduated and worked as a physical education professor for 23 years. I'm not sure how they met. I must have been told the stories, but frankly, and this would truly annoy Ferne, I obviously did not retain that information. As a child, I knew that Ferne had taught synchronized swimming, coached swimming, had written two books, and was a decent artist as well. Her book, The Wonder of Motion - A Sense of Life for Women, from her doctoral dissertation, was purchased by the Board of Directors of the Swimming Hall of Fame and was displayed in the Art Museum in the Hall.
As an adult, I learned that Ferne was a pitcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball league which the movie, A League of Their Own, was based on. She pitched for the Milwaukee Chicks in 1944 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988. I visited the Hall to see the exhibit before Ferne. I wrote about that trip and experience here. From that visit, I also learned Ferne's birth name was LaFerne, a cute, girly name I didn't think really fit her like Ferne did. By then I think I was paying better attention to details. Years later, Ferne took the trip to the Hall of Fame and finally got to see her name herself.
Ferne learned she had muscular dystrophy when I was still young. It didn't stop her from continuing her life, she was determined to make the best of her time, and she didn't like to talk about it around us kids. We, however, took it upon ourselves to join forces with Jerry Lewis' Labor Day Telethon every year, and did our best to raise money in our neighborhood because we felt we were helping Ferne.
Ferne died in May. I didn't find out about her death until weeks later when I got a message from a stranger on my mother's answering machine. Apparently, Ferne had never passed on the news that my mother had died to her friends. No one really knows why, but I do know she took the death hard. She had to tell me she would call me back when I first gave her the news, and when she did she wanted to make sure that my brother and I were okay. I regret not keeping in better touch with her these past two years. I had misplaced the address where she was currently living, and had just found it to send off a letter I wrote when I got the news of her death. I thought that eerie timing.
In going through my mother's belongings I recently found this letter she had written to nominate Ferne for an award at Indiana State. I thought printing excerpts from the letter a fitting tribute for someone she deeply loved, respected immensely, and considered one of her very best friends. We loved you too Ferne. You will be missed.
March 12, 1988
Dr. Ferne E. Price epitomizes the teaching profession. Her career spans parts of five decades in forty years on the job, and it includes instruction on both the junior and senior high school and university level. Longevity, of course, in and of itself, is certainly commendable but scarcely unique. What makes Dr. Price's years on the job so worthy of note is the fact that year after year, day in and day out, she has approached each class with fresh enthusiasm and originality, creating new course and updating old ones, and forever challenging young minds to greater achievements. No matter what the name of the course being taught, the main subject of any class has been "Life and how to live it to the best of one's ability," and her own life has served as a model for her students.
Beginning in 1956 Dr. Price directed and produced water ballet and synchronized swimming programs at Wiley High School and later at ISU. Absolute perfection and total attention to detail were the hallmarks of a Ferne Price production, and participating students learned to seek the outermost limits of their talents and to to know the total satisfaction of having been a part of a masterpiece.
In the final analysis, Ferne Price has made her mark in the world by never deviating from her principles, by never yielding despite physical and spiritual injuries and illnesses, and by, above all, demanding of herself the very best that is within her and never being satisfied with anything less. She has been, is, and always will be a rare and exceptional human being, who by her very existence and example enriches and enlightens the lives of all who know her. In her early years she undertook a lifetime struggle that has consisted of climbing upward from ledge to ledge in a steady assault of the top, and should she die "without reaching full sunlight, she will die on a level touched by its rays."
©The Estate of Constance Mason 2016
My mother had three friends from her youth and college days with whom she kept in touch, and my brother and I got to know them too. They were as much a part of our family as those who had been born into it. One of the hardest things I had to do was give my mother's two friends the news that she had died. Now I'm dealing with, and reeling from, the news of one of her friend's death.
I don't remember when I was first introduced to Dr. LaFerne (Ferne) Price. She was tall and lean, with a deep, gravely voice, and a hand shake that meant business. As a youngster, Ferne scared me. On our way to visit her her my mother always lectured us on what we were to do, on what Ferne expected from us, and I always worried I would let my mother down. Here was a woman we were told who expected our best behavior, for us to stand straight and give her a good handshake upon our arrival, to be polite, and to frankly, abide by the old rules of children should be seen and not heard. Of course, while some of that was true, Ferne was always very interested in us first.
I was not a child who spoke up around most people (that came much later), and so it was agony knowing I would have to communicate with this imposing woman who so loved my mom. But Ferne respected us and treated us as adults. She would greet us and then ask us millions of questions about school, our activities, our friends, our interests, and our grades. She knew things about us through our mother, and she had a great memory for detail. If we whined about a problem she would question us, turn it around for us to look at it from all angles, and then suggest some ways of dealing with it. She taught us that a handshake was the most important part of meeting someone, and that a good, steady, grip could tell you everything you needed to know about a person. To this day, I still believe that, and always eye with suspicion the ones who give the dead fish handshake.
Once she had gotten what she wanted from us she and my mother would take up from where they had previously left off, no matter how much time had passed. This was fascinating to me at a young age to watch my mother become something I didn't often see, and I would pretend to read my book while listening to their conversation. Here was someone who wasn't afraid of my mother, who could wave away her biting remarks or give her a swift kick in her ass if need be. All while still loving her and accepting her for who she was. It was probably a good introduction into lifelong friendships for me.
As I got older, Ferne would pull me into a conversation if she thought I could, and should, contribute. She and my mother always had tons to talk about, and they would argue and laugh, and solve all of their problems and the world's during our visits. Between visits they burned up the phone lines talking hours upon hours to one another. They shared a love of sports, especially Indiana State University basketball, and when they were together traveling to and from California during ISU and Larry Bird's pursuit of an NCAA championship in 1979 they watched the games from wherever they could. Even if it meant befriending and sweet talking an owner of a store who ended up letting them sit and watch the game after closing on one of the televisions he sold.
Ferne loved dogs, a source of irritation to my mother because she hated it when Ferne would beg off from traveling because she couldn't find a sitter for her animals. Ferne always had more than one dog following her around, and she use to say that she preferred them over most people. She loved to garden, tomatoes were her specialty, and she once mailed a huge box of them to my mother so that she could get her fill of Indiana tomatoes.
My mother met Ferne at Indiana State University where Ferne graduated and worked as a physical education professor for 23 years. I'm not sure how they met. I must have been told the stories, but frankly, and this would truly annoy Ferne, I obviously did not retain that information. As a child, I knew that Ferne had taught synchronized swimming, coached swimming, had written two books, and was a decent artist as well. Her book, The Wonder of Motion - A Sense of Life for Women, from her doctoral dissertation, was purchased by the Board of Directors of the Swimming Hall of Fame and was displayed in the Art Museum in the Hall.
As an adult, I learned that Ferne was a pitcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball league which the movie, A League of Their Own, was based on. She pitched for the Milwaukee Chicks in 1944 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988. I visited the Hall to see the exhibit before Ferne. I wrote about that trip and experience here. From that visit, I also learned Ferne's birth name was LaFerne, a cute, girly name I didn't think really fit her like Ferne did. By then I think I was paying better attention to details. Years later, Ferne took the trip to the Hall of Fame and finally got to see her name herself.
Ferne died in May. I didn't find out about her death until weeks later when I got a message from a stranger on my mother's answering machine. Apparently, Ferne had never passed on the news that my mother had died to her friends. No one really knows why, but I do know she took the death hard. She had to tell me she would call me back when I first gave her the news, and when she did she wanted to make sure that my brother and I were okay. I regret not keeping in better touch with her these past two years. I had misplaced the address where she was currently living, and had just found it to send off a letter I wrote when I got the news of her death. I thought that eerie timing.
In going through my mother's belongings I recently found this letter she had written to nominate Ferne for an award at Indiana State. I thought printing excerpts from the letter a fitting tribute for someone she deeply loved, respected immensely, and considered one of her very best friends. We loved you too Ferne. You will be missed.
March 12, 1988
Dr. Ferne E. Price epitomizes the teaching profession. Her career spans parts of five decades in forty years on the job, and it includes instruction on both the junior and senior high school and university level. Longevity, of course, in and of itself, is certainly commendable but scarcely unique. What makes Dr. Price's years on the job so worthy of note is the fact that year after year, day in and day out, she has approached each class with fresh enthusiasm and originality, creating new course and updating old ones, and forever challenging young minds to greater achievements. No matter what the name of the course being taught, the main subject of any class has been "Life and how to live it to the best of one's ability," and her own life has served as a model for her students.
Beginning in 1956 Dr. Price directed and produced water ballet and synchronized swimming programs at Wiley High School and later at ISU. Absolute perfection and total attention to detail were the hallmarks of a Ferne Price production, and participating students learned to seek the outermost limits of their talents and to to know the total satisfaction of having been a part of a masterpiece.
In the final analysis, Ferne Price has made her mark in the world by never deviating from her principles, by never yielding despite physical and spiritual injuries and illnesses, and by, above all, demanding of herself the very best that is within her and never being satisfied with anything less. She has been, is, and always will be a rare and exceptional human being, who by her very existence and example enriches and enlightens the lives of all who know her. In her early years she undertook a lifetime struggle that has consisted of climbing upward from ledge to ledge in a steady assault of the top, and should she die "without reaching full sunlight, she will die on a level touched by its rays."
©The Estate of Constance Mason 2016
Monday, September 05, 2016
Football hasn't even started, yet...
NFL football is around the corner, and while not everyone who reads me enjoys that statement, it's time once again for me to get on my helmet. Last year I played fantasy football for the first time, and I won. I have played Yahoo's Pick'em weekly since 2009. This year I signed on to also play Survival Football. While I'm not a fan of preseason football I have had to follow up on its happenings so that I can be on top of my games.
Last week Darcy texted me from school. Her group of guy friends were discussing their football fantasy league during lunch, and when Darcy inquired whether she could play in the league with them, one of the guys instead asked if she could text me and ask if I would join. How could I say no to that?
We held the draft party at our house on Saturday. There are ten teams. Darcy made it in on a team with two other girls. They decided to draft by looks and names of players, and one of the other guys helped them out some. We all sat around the dining room table with laptops and phones and drafted. It was intense since last year I hadn't a clue what I was doing. I'm pretty okay with my team, although I missed out on a few players I really wanted.
Before I joined the ESPN league with these guys I joined a Yahoo team. They weren't drafting until Friday night, and I forgot because we had Kelly over and she was entertaining us with her vacation cruise stories. Because I hadn't queued any players, the computer randomly picked chose for me, and I have to say, the computer didn't do such a poor job. I mean, I ended up with Antonio Brown!
But, I was annoyed and so Sunday morning I joined another Yahoo team so that I could draft players myself. I hit the join button and then the damn button came up again so I hit it again. Apparently, I signed up for two teams. I didn't know this, however, until I had finished drafting in a league with all guys. I was feeling pretty good about that league when I went back to my main page and discovered the other league. The thing about Yahoo is you can't leave a league. I suppose I could not play in it and ignore it the whole season, but I'd hate to see my stats come down. So I spent considerable time adding and waiving players in the hopes of ending up with a decent team.
Now I have three Yahoo fantasy teams, one ESPN fantasy team, one Yahoo pick'em team, and one Yahoo survival team. I might need some therapy.
Sunday, September 04, 2016
What's happening down south
So much for staying on top of the blogging. But seriously, let me just tell you the things that have happened since my last post, and then you will be sympathetic. And send gifts.
Me: "I hope you aren't calling to tell me not to spend money,"
Him: "Pfft. What's a couple of hundred more?"
Actually he was quite gleeful. He has been talking about replacing the air conditioning unit with a new one for the past two years. The first time it went out two years prior he brought up the subject, but when the repair guy appeared and fixed the problem he told me the air conditioner was fine. I told this to my husband and convinced him that spendingfifty million tons of money for a unit that was working fine now was silly. So he moved on to replacing our roof. He had all these roofing companies come out to give us a bid, and everyone of them climbed down from our roof and told me there was nothing wrong with the roof.
Them: "You've got another two years at least."
Tom: "What do they know?"
Me: "Uh....Yeah. No new roof."
So when he called he was gleeful, despite the boiling temperatures. I was thankful I was living in a motel, but the AC was still out when I flew home two days later. The temperature inside my house was not fit for human or canine living.
I moved us to The Condo while a company went to work putting in a new AC unit for us the next day. It took all day, and when they were finished they weren't. By law they had to attach some metal casings from the ground up to a certain height and that would have to be custom made. Whatever. Who cared now that I had air.
Me: "How long will it take to get my air back to 77 degrees?"
Him: "I have no idea. I usually leave at this point."
It took nine hours. Nine VERY long hours of me cursing out my husband for making me leave The Condo. I went to bed with the air at 80 degrees. I'm an overweight, menopausal woman. It wasn't good, I slept very little, but the air was back to normal when I awoke the next morning.
2. The dryer broke. The day after my new unit was installed I caught up on laundry. I noticed that the dryer seemed hotter than normal, but my laundry facilities are outside in the garage, and frankly, if I even remember that there is laundry in the units I am in and out of that garage as fast as lightning. The last load I remembered at around 11 pm, and when I pulled it out it was scorching. It registered in my brain that the load had finished an hour before and was awfully hot, but that is as far as it got in my brain. The next day the dryer was dead, and suddenly I remembered how hot the last load had been. It seemed suspicious to me that it quit working right after the AC guys had been working with our electric about three feet away from my dryer.
I finished my laundry at my neighbor's. Two days later Tom replaced the burned out part, and I was back in business.
3. I started babysitting the neighbor's dog. While this wouldn't seem like much it is. The neighbor insists that the dog stay at her own home, so four times a day I would have to trudge across the street to feed and potty the dog. This began during the time our AC broke so I actually hung out at their house whenever possible and used their dryer once. After the AC and dryer were up and running, I brought the dog to our house during the day for social interaction and took her home at night to eat and sleep.
4. Our new air conditioning unit quit working. Yep, you read that right. THE BRAND NEW unit stopped working late at night exactly six days later. I had been hot all day doing absolutely nothing around the house, and late that night I noticed the temperature was two degrees higher than the setting. Tom went outside and sure enough the unit was off.
A repair guy was at our house first thing that morning, and he discovered that a screw was the issue. The screw was not tightening, and therefore, not hitting the wire that set off the unit. Whatever. I didn't care. My house was back to 94 degrees, just fix the problem IN MY BRAND NEW AIR CONDITIONER. He said he had to replace the whole mother board, and he would return. He did so four hours later while I hung out with the neighbor's dog in her house. He also got word that our metal was ready and so he actually finished the entire AC job. Now all we had left was the inspection from the county. He assured me that would be the next day or the end of the week.
5. Tropical Storm/Hurricane Hermine appeared. She started off as a mysterious churning in the Atlantic and worked her way to the gulf side causing headaches and anxiety in forecasters and the National Weather Service. Eventually she rolled into a tropical storm, and we got the brunt of that on Wednesday. It poured. It rained and rained and rained. We had 11 inches in a short amount of time and the sewers went into overload and flooding occurred.
I went to feed the dog that morning and discovered the pool overflowing. It was halfway up to the doorway and the yard was full of puddles. I was afraid the damn dog would drown just trying to pee that morning so I brought her home with me. Just walking out to do her business every time resulted in her looking like a drowned rat.
School was cancelled on Thursday and Friday as the tropical storm turned into a hurricane, but the brunt of it for us came during the early morning hours on Thursday while I slept. I worried some about our huge oak tree uprooting and falling on our house, but I was worn out from the previous adventures and slept like a baby when it came through. It rained off and on both days, but nothing like it had on Wednesday. Once again we were spared.
6. Our roof leaked. It started on Wednesday during the horrific rain. I was folding laundry while sitting on one of the couches. The dogs were on the other couch chillin'. I heard a loud plopping noise, and discovered that big drops of water were landing on top of my new couch. It took some time to find that the water was coming from, are you ready for this, from a screw inside my AC duct in the dining room. I kid you not. I thought I was in an episode of Candid Camera. Another issue regarding the AC and a screw? I couldn't begin to make this stuff up.
I took the plate off and sent the picture to my husband. I had texted him the bad news, and he had responded with a text of his own.
Tom: "I don't think you know where you are. We don't have an AC duct in the dining room, do we? Over the couches? The couches aren't in the dining room."
I sent him a picture of the damn couch, which is half in the dining room and half in the living room, and then I sent him a picture of the wet drops on my couch, and finally the above picture. I put a bucket under the drip, moved the couch all the way into the living room, and got used to the plopping noise.
The next morning, Thursday, both dogs woke me at 6:30 am. We had kept the neighbor's dog with us that night since we were in a hurricane, and she was barking along with Elliot. I got up and decided to take her home to feed her. We headed out into the drizzling rain, and I discovered my husband on the roof in the pitch blackness with a flashlight looking for the leak. I should have taken a picture, but seriously, it would have looked like a black piece of paper. I could see the tiny light from his flashlight, but could barely see him. He, of course, could not find a leak, and when he returned inside he declared the roof looked "in great shape."
My life should be a comedy on ABC.
That was my week, and blogging just didn't make it in my list of duties. Forgive me.
Me: "I hope you aren't calling to tell me not to spend money,"
Him: "Pfft. What's a couple of hundred more?"
Actually he was quite gleeful. He has been talking about replacing the air conditioning unit with a new one for the past two years. The first time it went out two years prior he brought up the subject, but when the repair guy appeared and fixed the problem he told me the air conditioner was fine. I told this to my husband and convinced him that spending
Them: "You've got another two years at least."
Tom: "What do they know?"
Me: "Uh....Yeah. No new roof."
So when he called he was gleeful, despite the boiling temperatures. I was thankful I was living in a motel, but the AC was still out when I flew home two days later. The temperature inside my house was not fit for human or canine living.
I moved us to The Condo while a company went to work putting in a new AC unit for us the next day. It took all day, and when they were finished they weren't. By law they had to attach some metal casings from the ground up to a certain height and that would have to be custom made. Whatever. Who cared now that I had air.
Me: "How long will it take to get my air back to 77 degrees?"
Him: "I have no idea. I usually leave at this point."
It took nine hours. Nine VERY long hours of me cursing out my husband for making me leave The Condo. I went to bed with the air at 80 degrees. I'm an overweight, menopausal woman. It wasn't good, I slept very little, but the air was back to normal when I awoke the next morning.
2. The dryer broke. The day after my new unit was installed I caught up on laundry. I noticed that the dryer seemed hotter than normal, but my laundry facilities are outside in the garage, and frankly, if I even remember that there is laundry in the units I am in and out of that garage as fast as lightning. The last load I remembered at around 11 pm, and when I pulled it out it was scorching. It registered in my brain that the load had finished an hour before and was awfully hot, but that is as far as it got in my brain. The next day the dryer was dead, and suddenly I remembered how hot the last load had been. It seemed suspicious to me that it quit working right after the AC guys had been working with our electric about three feet away from my dryer.
I finished my laundry at my neighbor's. Two days later Tom replaced the burned out part, and I was back in business.
3. I started babysitting the neighbor's dog. While this wouldn't seem like much it is. The neighbor insists that the dog stay at her own home, so four times a day I would have to trudge across the street to feed and potty the dog. This began during the time our AC broke so I actually hung out at their house whenever possible and used their dryer once. After the AC and dryer were up and running, I brought the dog to our house during the day for social interaction and took her home at night to eat and sleep.
4. Our new air conditioning unit quit working. Yep, you read that right. THE BRAND NEW unit stopped working late at night exactly six days later. I had been hot all day doing absolutely nothing around the house, and late that night I noticed the temperature was two degrees higher than the setting. Tom went outside and sure enough the unit was off.
A repair guy was at our house first thing that morning, and he discovered that a screw was the issue. The screw was not tightening, and therefore, not hitting the wire that set off the unit. Whatever. I didn't care. My house was back to 94 degrees, just fix the problem IN MY BRAND NEW AIR CONDITIONER. He said he had to replace the whole mother board, and he would return. He did so four hours later while I hung out with the neighbor's dog in her house. He also got word that our metal was ready and so he actually finished the entire AC job. Now all we had left was the inspection from the county. He assured me that would be the next day or the end of the week.
5. Tropical Storm/Hurricane Hermine appeared. She started off as a mysterious churning in the Atlantic and worked her way to the gulf side causing headaches and anxiety in forecasters and the National Weather Service. Eventually she rolled into a tropical storm, and we got the brunt of that on Wednesday. It poured. It rained and rained and rained. We had 11 inches in a short amount of time and the sewers went into overload and flooding occurred.
I went to feed the dog that morning and discovered the pool overflowing. It was halfway up to the doorway and the yard was full of puddles. I was afraid the damn dog would drown just trying to pee that morning so I brought her home with me. Just walking out to do her business every time resulted in her looking like a drowned rat.
School was cancelled on Thursday and Friday as the tropical storm turned into a hurricane, but the brunt of it for us came during the early morning hours on Thursday while I slept. I worried some about our huge oak tree uprooting and falling on our house, but I was worn out from the previous adventures and slept like a baby when it came through. It rained off and on both days, but nothing like it had on Wednesday. Once again we were spared.
6. Our roof leaked. It started on Wednesday during the horrific rain. I was folding laundry while sitting on one of the couches. The dogs were on the other couch chillin'. I heard a loud plopping noise, and discovered that big drops of water were landing on top of my new couch. It took some time to find that the water was coming from, are you ready for this, from a screw inside my AC duct in the dining room. I kid you not. I thought I was in an episode of Candid Camera. Another issue regarding the AC and a screw? I couldn't begin to make this stuff up.
I took the plate off and sent the picture to my husband. I had texted him the bad news, and he had responded with a text of his own.
Tom: "I don't think you know where you are. We don't have an AC duct in the dining room, do we? Over the couches? The couches aren't in the dining room."
I sent him a picture of the damn couch, which is half in the dining room and half in the living room, and then I sent him a picture of the wet drops on my couch, and finally the above picture. I put a bucket under the drip, moved the couch all the way into the living room, and got used to the plopping noise.
The next morning, Thursday, both dogs woke me at 6:30 am. We had kept the neighbor's dog with us that night since we were in a hurricane, and she was barking along with Elliot. I got up and decided to take her home to feed her. We headed out into the drizzling rain, and I discovered my husband on the roof in the pitch blackness with a flashlight looking for the leak. I should have taken a picture, but seriously, it would have looked like a black piece of paper. I could see the tiny light from his flashlight, but could barely see him. He, of course, could not find a leak, and when he returned inside he declared the roof looked "in great shape."
My life should be a comedy on ABC.
That was my week, and blogging just didn't make it in my list of duties. Forgive me.
Monday, August 29, 2016
Last minute vacation
The end of summer hovered, and we just getting back into our daily routines of late nights and later mornings when my cousin's wife texted me to inquire about using some of our Wyndham points. I asked her for her dates, thinking the latter part of August, and she texted back that she was looking to leave in about five days. Yikes! Nothing like planning early.
I found a unit, not per her required "on the beach," but close to it in Pompano Beach. I couldn't get her in over the weekend but booked her for that coming Monday, and they decided to spend the weekend in Orlando. Two days later, I found myself in Orlando after Darcy talked me into a trip to GeekyCon. While the girls were off learning about social media entrepreneurship, I hung out with my cousins at their Orlando resort.
I met the newest member of our family. I actually had met him a year and a few months prior but didn't even know that I had met him. After having ten three children, his mother thought those days were over, and well, surprise. She was mistaken. She and the family were visiting us not long after she was given the news, and she was in denial, so she neglected to mention it to me. I thought she looked awfully pregnant while she was here, and I WAS RIGHT. She gave me the news after they left, and so I sent her this.
The newest member arrived in July of last year, so I spent his first birthday with him. (Sorry, Grandma!) He is the sweetest, happiest, inquisitive little guy, and it was a joy to finally meet him. Then because he was so cute and because I didn't feel we had truly had much time to bond, I invited myself along on their Pompano vacation. What were they going to say? NOTHING.
Darcy had to work, so she met the newest member at the birthday pizza dinner in Orlando. Madison and I took Darcy home, unpacked and cleaned our clothes, and then packed again and headed off to Pompano Beach, four hours south.
We arrived hungry and tired. This is my third time at this resort, and while it isn't on the beach, it is a huge resort with plenty to do, and the beach is a short drive away. I spent some considerable time at check-in while the desk clerk worked hard at getting me to agree to a sales "breakfast," but having just been in San Francisco and Orlando, I begged off, telling him there was nothing new they could say to me. He was kind about it and worked hard at putting me in the same building as my relatives, but because I'm a Presidential member, he assigned that task to a manager. She didn't get the memo on the same building and put us in an older unit, albeit with a poolside view.
Now that I fork over the monthly maintenance few on these points, I've gotten stubborn and picky regarding my room. The pool view was nice, but the tower was older, and the room smelled. Madison told me I was overreacting and that the room smelled nice, and so I let it go...after half an hour or so. The room actually was spacious, but I'm over the carpeted units now since having tiled or wood flooring in the newer Wyndham units.
I went out onto the balcony to enjoy my pool view, and there was one of the cousins getting ready to go down the slide that was directly outside my unit. We hollered. He waved. He pointed out his parents down at the other end of the pool, and Madison and I went down to begin phase II of our vacation with the cousins. We had a blast.
We swam at the resort pool during the day, the later afternoon, and the evening. The main pool was outside our room and opened early. Every day at exactly 9:10 am. the music was turned on, and I enjoyed a coffee outside on my balcony listening to golden oldies and watching the early bird swimmers. At 10:00 am. I took my coffee, hiked through the pool area, walked through the main entertainment area, passed by another pool, and entered the building where my family was housed. My cousin cooked us all breakfast, and it was usually waiting for me when I arrived. He's not bad as a chef.
We visited the beach during the day and in the evening. I could only get in to pee up to my bandage (I had another relapse regarding my cyst), but everyone else got to dive right in to ride the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
And we relaxed and talked and talked and talked. It was a great summer ending. Madison and I left them after three nights so they could have some family time, just the
Sunday, August 28, 2016
And while I'm blogging about social media....Vine vs YouTube: The Song (ft. Thomas Sanders)
Items on my daughters' bucket list: Meet Jon Cozart and Thomas Sanders in real life
Check.
Item on my bucket list: Make my kids' dreams come true.
Check.
I wrote about our shenanigans with social media this summer, and then Darcy reminded me of a great favorite of all of ours: Both Thomas Sanders and Jon Cozart together! I first saw Cozart on Facebook, and then when I saw Sanders on Vine I told the girls he reminded me of Jon Cozart. Apparently, we weren't the only ones who agreed. Eventually, the two met each other at a social media conference, and finally this year collaborated together.
If you enjoyed my blog entries on our two favorite social media stars, don't miss them together here singing the differences between their platforms; Vine and YouTube.
Saturday, August 27, 2016
Ultimate Storytime with Thomas Sanders
Once I embraced social media, after fighting against it, (my husband insisted I learn to understand our kids' world) I did so with a passion. I joined Facebook, then Twitter, followed by Instagram and finally Vine. Vine is a social media platform for six second videos, and I joined because my brother and his wife had joined to follow their son, the up and coming actor. I joined too to be supportive, and while they have since deleted their app, I am still a follower. I like the quickness and creativity of the six second video, and it reminds me of all of the hours my friends and I spent recording our own little scenes in my bedroom as tweens.
Back in those ancient days, video cameras recorded on film, and children were never behind the camera. Instead we recorded our creativity via audio cassettes. My friends and I invented radio shows, game shows, and talk shows complete with our own commercials, and we edited and worked hours at creating our masterpieces. One of my friends and I wrote a musical using songs from our 45 records. We acted it out using one person to man the record player, cuing up the right record when it was time for the characters to sing. We had dreams of being discovered, of showing the world our talents, and of becoming famous. I still have some of those tapes today, much to the horror of my daughters, but we darn creative and perhaps ahead of our time.
So when I discovered Vine it brought back my own creative endeavors. I started out following the most popular viners, and eventually through reposts, settled on following several that I felt had the most talent in all of the departments from writing, to directing, to acting. One of those was a viner named Thomas Sanders.
The first vine I saw was one of his "Tottleberry" vines that he would do when he found a sign that made no sense. Because I find humor in that very thing, I clicked on his page and watched more of his vines. . He was so happy. His creativity and talent was A+ and family rated. All of us starting watching his Vines because they were good, funny, and had us laughing out loud. He instantly became my favorite, especially when he sang a shout out to all the "Cara's" (yes, with a "C") in the world. I have passed on his talent to anyone who crosses my doorstep and my path.
Back in those ancient days, video cameras recorded on film, and children were never behind the camera. Instead we recorded our creativity via audio cassettes. My friends and I invented radio shows, game shows, and talk shows complete with our own commercials, and we edited and worked hours at creating our masterpieces. One of my friends and I wrote a musical using songs from our 45 records. We acted it out using one person to man the record player, cuing up the right record when it was time for the characters to sing. We had dreams of being discovered, of showing the world our talents, and of becoming famous. I still have some of those tapes today, much to the horror of my daughters, but we darn creative and perhaps ahead of our time.
So when I discovered Vine it brought back my own creative endeavors. I started out following the most popular viners, and eventually through reposts, settled on following several that I felt had the most talent in all of the departments from writing, to directing, to acting. One of those was a viner named Thomas Sanders.
The first vine I saw was one of his "Tottleberry" vines that he would do when he found a sign that made no sense. Because I find humor in that very thing, I clicked on his page and watched more of his vines. . He was so happy. His creativity and talent was A+ and family rated. All of us starting watching his Vines because they were good, funny, and had us laughing out loud. He instantly became my favorite, especially when he sang a shout out to all the "Cara's" (yes, with a "C") in the world. I have passed on his talent to anyone who crosses my doorstep and my path.
Darcy: "It's a little weird. I mean, he's in his twenties."
My daughter finds my social media obsession odd for an "older" person. In her mind, it is all "fan girling", and when I argue this point and explain how I use to do this very thing only with a microphone and a cassette tape she rolls her eyes. Parents aren't suppose to be on social media. Never mind that half of Vine is people my age making videos! I aim to support all of the people who I enjoy. I have people who support me in my blogging, and I only feel it fair to do the same in other realms. We are, after all, in this social media world together.
Eventually, I found out that Sanders was based in Florida, attending the University of Florida, and that made me want to support him even more. A local boy makes good kind of thing I suppose. Frankly, I just find him to be talented and creative. I enjoy his "Disney Pranks" where he surprises friends with various Disney props. I laugh at his "Storytime" where he approaches random people and gives them a line in his best narrator's voice, and then films their reactions. I like the messages he sends out to his fans, who call themselves Fanders, and I feel that in this world of chaos he brings in a little levity in six seconds.
As Vine grew in popularity a few years ago he was interviewed on The View, in a segment they did for a week on Viners. He talked about his dream of working one day on Broadway, and how he was enjoying this ride he was on in the land of social media. Eventually, like all new fads, Vine began winding down, and many of the Viners turned to YouTube. Sanders was no different, and while I've watched some of his videos and watched his ads so he can collect his pay, I prefer his Vines.
Around the time that school let out for the summer, he announced a project he was working on. He and four friends were going to go on tour to various venues around the United States and Canada performing a musical loosely based on Sanders' Vines. Opening night was in Tampa. The four of us jumped at supporting him. We bought tickets for all of us, and then Darcy bought a VIP ticket so that she could attend a meet and greet with him. This was a surprise to Madison and me since we are bigger fans of his than Darcy, but it was her money.
Friday night we attended the big event, "Ultimate Storytime with Thomas Sanders". We really had no idea what to expect. It was held in a night club, standing room only while gathered around the stage. The VIP ticket holders went in first where they were treated to a meet and greet photo opportunity with Sanders, a Q&A with the actors, and a few extras. The rest of us stood outside in the horrendous heat. About halfway through our time in line I received a SnapChat from Darcy and opened it.
I might admit that I screamed like a "fangirl", but I pretended I was annoyed he didn't understand I was there to support him, but really I was touched that she took her time with Sanders to do that for me. He was gracious enough to also take a photo with her.
We eventually got into the venue and headed past the bar, where quite a few parents where hanging out, and we met up with Darcy who had secured a decent place to stand. It didn't take long for the musical to start, and when Sanders made his debut on stage I might have screamed along with all of the rest of the Fanders. It was like the time I saw Barney, the purple Dinosaur, in concert only I didn't shed tears this time. There was an icon! Right there. On stage. Someone I've been supporting and laughing along with and enjoying immensely for a couple of years. Right there in front of me. I get emotional like that.
Darcy: "It's weird. You're too old for that."
I'll remind her of these hateful spewings when she is older and still feeling twenty-ish inside.
The musical (photography was not allowed) was very good. It incorporated a lot of Sanders' Vine characters within the story, which carried an upbeat, happy-go-lucky, be who you are kind of message. It was very positive, very entertaining, very creative, and very funny. The actors were wonderful, the singing good, and the whole show made for a delightful night. Both Tom and I enjoyed it immensely...even at our old ages. We left the venue feeling very positive. I think too for me it was also nice to see that having an idea, a dream, can also become a reality, and that there are people out there willing to take a chance on social media stars and help them obtain their goals. It was just a message of hope all around.
Darcy: "Awwww, Mom, you are so happy you got to see Thomas Sanders. I'm glad I had him make that SnapChat."
Ultimate Storytime with Thomas Sanders continues until September 2, 2016. The album is also available Here. If you want to follow him on Vine, and get a daily chuckle, just search for his name at www.vine.co.
Eventually, I found out that Sanders was based in Florida, attending the University of Florida, and that made me want to support him even more. A local boy makes good kind of thing I suppose. Frankly, I just find him to be talented and creative. I enjoy his "Disney Pranks" where he surprises friends with various Disney props. I laugh at his "Storytime" where he approaches random people and gives them a line in his best narrator's voice, and then films their reactions. I like the messages he sends out to his fans, who call themselves Fanders, and I feel that in this world of chaos he brings in a little levity in six seconds.
As Vine grew in popularity a few years ago he was interviewed on The View, in a segment they did for a week on Viners. He talked about his dream of working one day on Broadway, and how he was enjoying this ride he was on in the land of social media. Eventually, like all new fads, Vine began winding down, and many of the Viners turned to YouTube. Sanders was no different, and while I've watched some of his videos and watched his ads so he can collect his pay, I prefer his Vines.
Around the time that school let out for the summer, he announced a project he was working on. He and four friends were going to go on tour to various venues around the United States and Canada performing a musical loosely based on Sanders' Vines. Opening night was in Tampa. The four of us jumped at supporting him. We bought tickets for all of us, and then Darcy bought a VIP ticket so that she could attend a meet and greet with him. This was a surprise to Madison and me since we are bigger fans of his than Darcy, but it was her money.
Friday night we attended the big event, "Ultimate Storytime with Thomas Sanders". We really had no idea what to expect. It was held in a night club, standing room only while gathered around the stage. The VIP ticket holders went in first where they were treated to a meet and greet photo opportunity with Sanders, a Q&A with the actors, and a few extras. The rest of us stood outside in the horrendous heat. About halfway through our time in line I received a SnapChat from Darcy and opened it.
I might admit that I screamed like a "fangirl", but I pretended I was annoyed he didn't understand I was there to support him, but really I was touched that she took her time with Sanders to do that for me. He was gracious enough to also take a photo with her.
We eventually got into the venue and headed past the bar, where quite a few parents where hanging out, and we met up with Darcy who had secured a decent place to stand. It didn't take long for the musical to start, and when Sanders made his debut on stage I might have screamed along with all of the rest of the Fanders. It was like the time I saw Barney, the purple Dinosaur, in concert only I didn't shed tears this time. There was an icon! Right there. On stage. Someone I've been supporting and laughing along with and enjoying immensely for a couple of years. Right there in front of me. I get emotional like that.
Darcy: "It's weird. You're too old for that."
I'll remind her of these hateful spewings when she is older and still feeling twenty-ish inside.
The musical (photography was not allowed) was very good. It incorporated a lot of Sanders' Vine characters within the story, which carried an upbeat, happy-go-lucky, be who you are kind of message. It was very positive, very entertaining, very creative, and very funny. The actors were wonderful, the singing good, and the whole show made for a delightful night. Both Tom and I enjoyed it immensely...even at our old ages. We left the venue feeling very positive. I think too for me it was also nice to see that having an idea, a dream, can also become a reality, and that there are people out there willing to take a chance on social media stars and help them obtain their goals. It was just a message of hope all around.
Darcy: "Awwww, Mom, you are so happy you got to see Thomas Sanders. I'm glad I had him make that SnapChat."
Ultimate Storytime with Thomas Sanders continues until September 2, 2016. The album is also available Here. If you want to follow him on Vine, and get a daily chuckle, just search for his name at www.vine.co.
Friday, August 26, 2016
Summer is over...for us
Summer is over. Not for everyone, just for us. School begins and summer ends here in our world because for us summer is no school, sleeping late, tons of fun in the sun, and no school. I took some time off from blogging, not on purpose, but I decided that this summer I would do as much as I could do with my girls, and so when opportunity arose to do just that blogging went out the window. (Insert horrified looking emoji because no blogging means no income, and yes, I was aware of all of that, and am lucky to be able to chuck it all out the window for two months.) Now that summer is over I will have to buckle down and make up for my lost time (and income).
Summer ended two weeks early here. Blame our school board. They got together before the end of last school year because they didn't have enough concerns and decided to put a halt todreams summer so that kids wouldn't have to study for exams over Christmas break. Please. Like kids even did that! It happened so fast no one was paying attention to even protest, and by the time it was a done deal, well, summertime was ripped into two.
For Darcy summer ended August 9th and she started school the next day. This is her senior year despite the fact that she is already ready to head for college. This year she starts in a brand, spanking, new building after spending two years inportables learning cottages. She leaves our house in pitch darkness to get to school in time for the 7:05 a.m. bell. Despite that, she always gets up on her own and heads out the door perky and chill.
Summer ended for Madison this week. She enjoyed three and a half months of summer before she and I flew to North Carolina to move her back into the dorms for her second year. She and her roommate from last year chose a different dorm building this year. It turned out to be nice, but with smaller, oddly shaped, rooms. We had some disappointment in the beginning, but as usual, Madison rallied and made it her own.
I left and flew home before she started school so she had to take a selfie for her first day of school. I insist on that even though she is in college.
Darcy: "Awwww....we have to work with her on her selfies."
Happy School Year peeps. Thanks for understanding my summer time off. Thanks for reading my ramblings. May the year until next summer go well for all of us!
Summer ended two weeks early here. Blame our school board. They got together before the end of last school year because they didn't have enough concerns and decided to put a halt to
For Darcy summer ended August 9th and she started school the next day. This is her senior year despite the fact that she is already ready to head for college. This year she starts in a brand, spanking, new building after spending two years in
This was first day of senior picture in the house
This was the picture outside
And this was her in her car in the driveway backing out. It IS dark.
Lounge area as she heads down the hallway toward her room
Her hallway leading to her room
Her room before the boxes of her stuff arrived
Her little corner of the room
Darcy: "Awwww....we have to work with her on her selfies."
Happy School Year peeps. Thanks for understanding my summer time off. Thanks for reading my ramblings. May the year until next summer go well for all of us!
Monday, August 15, 2016
GeekyCon
August came quickly. It usually does, but this year it came faster because our school board voted to start school two weeks early. It put a damper on the summer, but I was determined to squeeze out as much of my time with my girls as I could. We returned from our CA vacation the weekend of July 4th. A week later we had family arrive for almost two weeks. They left, and we had a lull. It didn't last long.
Darcy: "So, hey, Mommy..."
Me: "Oh, boy. That lead in always means you want something from me."
She did. Apparently, through social media, on a Friday, while at work, she learned that GeekyCon was in Orlando for the weekend. I looked at her my thoughts whirling. With my embracement of social media, I have learned a lot. I follow strangers on Instagram and SnapChat. I have Twitter followers I don't know. I have favorite Viners and YouTubers, and some nights we just sit at home and watch these various entertainers on our television. When we discovered that VidCon was going on in CA the same time we were we actually thought about changing our itinerary to attend. All of us. It is the big kahuna of all things social media, but there are also little cons held around the country. GeekyCon was one of them, and it happened to be in our backyard.
Darcy: "Jon Cozart is there. Please! Please!"
She had me at Jon Cozart. Several years ago I was introduced to him via a relative on Facebook. He posted a video of Cozart who had written a little ditto he titled, "After Ever After". (If you haven't seen it, by all means click and watch. You won't be disappointed) It is a little parody of four of Disney's princesses, and it is hilarious and oh, so very creative. I showed it to everyone. Tom and I watched it over and over amazed at how he put it all together. I showed the girls. I showed my friends. I still show people when they look at me with no recognition when hearing his name, despite his appearance on various talk shows. I'm all about creativity, and social media has opened up a huge business. I applaud those who take advantage of it.
I snagged a Wyndham for two nights, and we left the next morning before dawn. I dropped the two girls off by 9:00 am where they interacted with tons of nerds and various social media "celebrities". I
I hung out at the resort, hooked up with family who popped into town for the weekend (more on that later), and spent a lot of time driving back and forth to the convention center. It was all worth it. While I didn't get to spend time with the girls I got to witness their excitement, hear their stories, and bask in their joy. Plus, I got to be the cool mom for a weekend.
And it made August creeping up so quickly a little more tolerable. Just a little.
Darcy: "So, hey, Mommy..."
Me: "Oh, boy. That lead in always means you want something from me."
She did. Apparently, through social media, on a Friday, while at work, she learned that GeekyCon was in Orlando for the weekend. I looked at her my thoughts whirling. With my embracement of social media, I have learned a lot. I follow strangers on Instagram and SnapChat. I have Twitter followers I don't know. I have favorite Viners and YouTubers, and some nights we just sit at home and watch these various entertainers on our television. When we discovered that VidCon was going on in CA the same time we were we actually thought about changing our itinerary to attend. All of us. It is the big kahuna of all things social media, but there are also little cons held around the country. GeekyCon was one of them, and it happened to be in our backyard.
Darcy: "Jon Cozart is there. Please! Please!"
She had me at Jon Cozart. Several years ago I was introduced to him via a relative on Facebook. He posted a video of Cozart who had written a little ditto he titled, "After Ever After". (If you haven't seen it, by all means click and watch. You won't be disappointed) It is a little parody of four of Disney's princesses, and it is hilarious and oh, so very creative. I showed it to everyone. Tom and I watched it over and over amazed at how he put it all together. I showed the girls. I showed my friends. I still show people when they look at me with no recognition when hearing his name, despite his appearance on various talk shows. I'm all about creativity, and social media has opened up a huge business. I applaud those who take advantage of it.
I snagged a Wyndham for two nights, and we left the next morning before dawn. I dropped the two girls off by 9:00 am where they interacted with tons of nerds and various social media "celebrities". I
I didn't see them again until 6:00 pm when I picked them up and took them to dinner. They ate, showered, dressed in party outfits, and went back again to the convention center for a dance and the distribution of the new Harry Potter Play that came out after midnight. I picked them up once again at 1:00 am. and returned them back again eight hours later. It was all worth it. They saw Jon Cozart multiple times, enough for him to ask Darcy where her sister was by day two when she got his autograph without Madison.
I hung out at the resort, hooked up with family who popped into town for the weekend (more on that later), and spent a lot of time driving back and forth to the convention center. It was all worth it. While I didn't get to spend time with the girls I got to witness their excitement, hear their stories, and bask in their joy. Plus, I got to be the cool mom for a weekend.
And it made August creeping up so quickly a little more tolerable. Just a little.
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