We arrived in Los Angeles without incident two days ago. The flight was an hour late leaving Miami, but it made up the time in the air. The boys behaved very well on the 5-hour flight. They have been good for the most part here, but a little wild. Wizard sees his job as testing the limits of my and WineGuy's patience every chance he gets. We've done a little sightseeing and even got to Venice Beach. Boy, the Pacific Ocean is COLD! Not at all like the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico near my house.
Jeopardy! news: I called the Jeopardy office yesterday. They told me that 13 people are scheduled to appear on Monday, July 30, 2007. The receptionist told me that there is a guy, who has already won three games, who will be the returning champion next week. Yikes!!! I also gave the Jeopardy office my guest list. Malibu Mom and her two daughters will be attending along with WineGuy, Wizard, and Wild Thing. Malibu Mom's nanny will watch Moose the two taping days. I am really grateful for her help; it 's the only way I could make all these arrangements work.
More later when I can. Keep those good thoughts and prayers coming!
Friday, July 27, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
AA Argh!
A cautionary tale . . .
American Airlines
nearly gave me a heart attack. I was sitting here gathering all my paperwork to pack for our trip to Los Angeles. I checked in and printed boarding passes for myself, Wizard, Wild Thing, and Moose. WineGuy had a separate record because we used travel credits left over from our aborted trip last Thanksgiving. I went to check WineGuy in and found that he does not have an electronic ticket. What?
I called American Airlines reservations and navigated my way through their hellish automated system. The agent told me WineGuy's ticket was not paid for and that they were waiting for the travel vouchers. My blood pressure vaulted as I informed the agent that the ticket was, in-fact, paid for, but again she demurred. I asked to be transferred to a supervisor. Smartvisor (c.f., Stupidvisor) picked up the call. Smartvisor, who works for American Airlines not AA.com, looked at the record locators and couldn't figure out what AA.com did to create and pay for the reservation. Smartvisor came back on the line twice to tell me she had the entire electronic trail: the original tickets; their cancellation; partial usage of the credit for some travel in the spring; and the remaining credit left after that. The AA.com agent -- Shirley, whose name I have in contemporaneously written notes (date, time) from the night I made my reservations -- tried to apply the travel vouchers electronically; there was a small overage, which I paid for by credit card. The problem is that American Airlines computer systems do not have that capability, and Shirley made a giant mistake. Shirley told me the ticket was paid for and that the travel vouchers were no longer valid.
NOT. American asked for the travel vouchers to be produced. I can't. I destroyed them the night I made my reservations because Shirley assured me the vouchers were no good. I explained all this to Smartvisor. WineGuy's ticket was never issued although the airline held his reservation and seat. AA.com or American Airlines was supposed to contact me to correct the problem, but they never did.
Finally, after more than 30 minutes on the phone, and being disconnected in the process, Smartvisor just called to say that she authorized the vouchers to be reissued at the airport and for the original fare to be honored. She then called the local ticket office to issue WineGuy's e-ticket and processed the small additional charge to my credit card. I just checked WineGuy in online and printed his boarding pass.
Caveat emptor: Whenever you get on the phone with a service person, get out your pen and paper. Take notes of everything that was said or promised. Make note of the time and date of the call, and get the first and last names (and employee number) of the person with whom you spoke. If you're using travel vouchers, do not destroy them until after the trip.
Today, I pack. Tomorrow we leave for L.A. for a week. I am the last luddite (no laptop), so I doubt I will post for the next week. The Jeopardy! taping is July 30-31. Wish me luck and say a prayer for me to win, win, win!
American Airlines
nearly gave me a heart attack. I was sitting here gathering all my paperwork to pack for our trip to Los Angeles. I checked in and printed boarding passes for myself, Wizard, Wild Thing, and Moose. WineGuy had a separate record because we used travel credits left over from our aborted trip last Thanksgiving. I went to check WineGuy in and found that he does not have an electronic ticket. What?I called American Airlines reservations and navigated my way through their hellish automated system. The agent told me WineGuy's ticket was not paid for and that they were waiting for the travel vouchers. My blood pressure vaulted as I informed the agent that the ticket was, in-fact, paid for, but again she demurred. I asked to be transferred to a supervisor. Smartvisor (c.f., Stupidvisor) picked up the call. Smartvisor, who works for American Airlines not AA.com, looked at the record locators and couldn't figure out what AA.com did to create and pay for the reservation. Smartvisor came back on the line twice to tell me she had the entire electronic trail: the original tickets; their cancellation; partial usage of the credit for some travel in the spring; and the remaining credit left after that. The AA.com agent -- Shirley, whose name I have in contemporaneously written notes (date, time) from the night I made my reservations -- tried to apply the travel vouchers electronically; there was a small overage, which I paid for by credit card. The problem is that American Airlines computer systems do not have that capability, and Shirley made a giant mistake. Shirley told me the ticket was paid for and that the travel vouchers were no longer valid.
NOT. American asked for the travel vouchers to be produced. I can't. I destroyed them the night I made my reservations because Shirley assured me the vouchers were no good. I explained all this to Smartvisor. WineGuy's ticket was never issued although the airline held his reservation and seat. AA.com or American Airlines was supposed to contact me to correct the problem, but they never did.
Finally, after more than 30 minutes on the phone, and being disconnected in the process, Smartvisor just called to say that she authorized the vouchers to be reissued at the airport and for the original fare to be honored. She then called the local ticket office to issue WineGuy's e-ticket and processed the small additional charge to my credit card. I just checked WineGuy in online and printed his boarding pass.
Caveat emptor: Whenever you get on the phone with a service person, get out your pen and paper. Take notes of everything that was said or promised. Make note of the time and date of the call, and get the first and last names (and employee number) of the person with whom you spoke. If you're using travel vouchers, do not destroy them until after the trip.
Today, I pack. Tomorrow we leave for L.A. for a week. I am the last luddite (no laptop), so I doubt I will post for the next week. The Jeopardy! taping is July 30-31. Wish me luck and say a prayer for me to win, win, win!
Monday, July 23, 2007
Finished!
It's 4:15 a.m. in the The Zone. Not a creature is stirring but plenty are snoring. I have just finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. No spoilers or discussion other than to say that the book's ending had far more Christian overtones than I would have expected. And, J.K. Rowling has clearly left herself room to expand upon this series if she so chooses.'Nuff said.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
It's 12:01 Somewhere
It's half past midnight here in The Zone, and I've just returned home with my very own copy of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. There are no spoilers here. This is a tale of acquisition.
I decided not to pre-order HP7. Why? Because I've done so for the past two installments and have waited endlessly in line at the bookstore. And, because Are We There Yet shrewdly instructed me to go to my local WalMart at midnight to acquire the book as effortlessly as she did for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Brilliant strategy: simple, efficient. I should have been home by 12:10 a.m.
I left the house here at 11:40 p.m. and drove 5 minutes up the road to the closest WalMart. I parked right in front and walked right to the book section. There were a few friendly people waiting there, some of whom who'd been sitting there for hours.
The clock struck midnight, then 12:01, but no books appeared in the book section. We all looked at each other like, "WTF? Where are the books?" Then one smug bastard in a backwards baseball cap sauntered by and said, "Dudes, the books are all in the electronics section in the back of the store." Four people stampeded and the rest of us race-walked to the electronics department to find 15 people already in line. There were 5 people behind the counter, and one cash register open. ONE CASH REGISTER! There are 15 cash registers in the front of the store, but the only one at which you could acquire and purchase HP7 was in the absolute rear of the store. To add insult to injury, two of the people standing behind the counter weren't even WalMart employees; they worked for the book distributor, which I suspect is Source Interlink because they're based in the area. So, there we were in line. The girls in front of me were pissed because they had been in the store for several hours, waiting by the book section because the functional illiterates in Customer No-Service told them that's where the books would be. I was pissed because I expected the store to make an announcement directing customers to the right place. Really, I was more angry with myself because I should have realized that theINS rejects employees were too lazy to cart the books to the front of the store. I had contemplated wandering to the stockroom door but decided against it to stay near the books. [Note to self: always trust your first instincts.] As the line in front of me grew shorter, I became more vocal, insulting José (his real name) for not announcing where the books were and for being unintelligible over the intercom when he finally did. I finally bought my book and received some free bookmarks and four free "house bracelets" as a bonus. (The book rep. was clearly trying to appease me.)
I close with an open letter to the management of the WalMart SuperCenter (store 5391) in North Naples.
I decided not to pre-order HP7. Why? Because I've done so for the past two installments and have waited endlessly in line at the bookstore. And, because Are We There Yet shrewdly instructed me to go to my local WalMart at midnight to acquire the book as effortlessly as she did for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Brilliant strategy: simple, efficient. I should have been home by 12:10 a.m.
I left the house here at 11:40 p.m. and drove 5 minutes up the road to the closest WalMart. I parked right in front and walked right to the book section. There were a few friendly people waiting there, some of whom who'd been sitting there for hours.
The clock struck midnight, then 12:01, but no books appeared in the book section. We all looked at each other like, "WTF? Where are the books?" Then one smug bastard in a backwards baseball cap sauntered by and said, "Dudes, the books are all in the electronics section in the back of the store." Four people stampeded and the rest of us race-walked to the electronics department to find 15 people already in line. There were 5 people behind the counter, and one cash register open. ONE CASH REGISTER! There are 15 cash registers in the front of the store, but the only one at which you could acquire and purchase HP7 was in the absolute rear of the store. To add insult to injury, two of the people standing behind the counter weren't even WalMart employees; they worked for the book distributor, which I suspect is Source Interlink because they're based in the area. So, there we were in line. The girls in front of me were pissed because they had been in the store for several hours, waiting by the book section because the functional illiterates in Customer No-Service told them that's where the books would be. I was pissed because I expected the store to make an announcement directing customers to the right place. Really, I was more angry with myself because I should have realized that the
I close with an open letter to the management of the WalMart SuperCenter (store 5391) in North Naples.
- To José: you can't help going through life being short, round, and bald. Being arrogant on top of it all just doesn't work. You're a WalMart manager, forchrissakes. Remember that your customer always comes first.
- To Robert Talbot, manager of the store: you need to hire people who speak English fluently. It is unacceptable for your telephone operators, cashiers, and stock people not to be able to understand and communicate with your customers. Even if your employees have difficulty communicating in English, they should at least be courteous enough to smile when they do their jobs instead of lazily shrugging their shoulders or mouthing off when asked for help.
- To the Book Manager of this store: you should have put signs up directing customers to the right area. You, yourself, should have been in the store at midnight making a clear announcement, in English and Spanish, welcoming the book buyers and inviting them to the electronics department.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Ticket To Ride
No, not The Beatles song . . . it' s a board game and an online community. We love board games, but the boys continually abuse them and lose pieces. Todd received Ticket To Ride for Chanukah last winter, and we have really enjoyed playing it. The game board has a map of the USA and lower Canada and train routes connecting the various cities. Players use destination tickets and colored wagon cards to claim routes and connect cities to each other. Days of Wonder makes TTR and a host of other fascinating games.
Ticket To Ride has several different editions. Another popular board is Europe, and there is a USA 1910 expansion pack. We have our eyes on both. Included in the game's instructions, which Todd promptly lost, is a web code you can use to log into the Ticket To Ride online community and start your own games. You can play TTR without a web code, but you are treated as a guest player who must join someone else's game. Both Todd and I have created screen-names to play: I am Alto2, of course, and he is Laxstar ("lacrosse star" haha).
I highly recommend both the TTR board and online games. I've played against some interesting and fun people. Just this afternoon, I played online against Astrid from Holland. She was very chatty while she beat the pants off me! I had fun and learned some more strategy.
Ticket To Ride has several different editions. Another popular board is Europe, and there is a USA 1910 expansion pack. We have our eyes on both. Included in the game's instructions, which Todd promptly lost, is a web code you can use to log into the Ticket To Ride online community and start your own games. You can play TTR without a web code, but you are treated as a guest player who must join someone else's game. Both Todd and I have created screen-names to play: I am Alto2, of course, and he is Laxstar ("lacrosse star" haha).
I highly recommend both the TTR board and online games. I've played against some interesting and fun people. Just this afternoon, I played online against Astrid from Holland. She was very chatty while she beat the pants off me! I had fun and learned some more strategy.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Summer 2007 Books
In spite of, or perhaps because of, all this studying, I have been reading a lot this summer. Last night, my book club met to discuss Marisa de los Santos's Love Walked In. We were looking for a light, summer read that had some substance. This debut novel fit the bill. Cornelia Brown, an educated woman in her late twenties, has given up her academic career to work in a coffee shop in Philadelphia's tony Rittenhouse Square. In walks Martin Grace, a suave businessman, and Cornelia's life changes forever. Cornelia imagines -- and creates -- her life right out of old movies, "The Philadelphia Story", to be specific. Martin is Cary Grant to Cornelia's Katherine Hepburn. Martin, however, has a skeleton in his closet, his 11 year-old daughter, Clare. Clare's mother suffers a psychotic break, and Clare is forced upon her father. When Martin walks Clare into Cornelia's life, Cornelia's movie bubble bursts: Martin is not the man she expected him to be; Cornelia finds herself inexorably drawn to parenting Clare. And, in the midst of everything, Cornelia's brother-in-law, Teo, shows up to enervate and complicate things more.Marisa de los Santos is an award-winning poet. I am not sure she has successfully morphed her wordcraft from poetry to prose. The novel alternates between Cornelia's narrative in the first-person and Clare's in the third person. This scheme confuses the reader for easily the first 25% of the book. Additionally, the author made each character a shade beyond believable: Cornelia is just a little too petite and perfect. Clare is just a little too mature and wise. Martin is too debonair and charming. Teo is too handsome and dedicated. The author's characters are charicatures of themselves. Nevertheless, Love Walked In is a good book for summer reading. It is heartwarming, well-crafted, and literate.
The book I just finished is another debut novel, The Friday Night Knitting Club, by Kate Jacobs. While FNKC has received less acclaim than LWI, I liked it better. FNKC is the story of single mother, Georgia Walker, the proprietress of Walker and Daughter, a Manhattan yarn shop. Georgia and her pre-teen daughter, Dakota, live above the shop. Thanks to some recent publicity, business is good. Then, Dakota's father, James, comes back into their lives and wants to get involved as he never had before. Georgia's old high-school friend, Cat (a trim, toned socialite), shows up and commissions Georgia to knit a couture gown for her. Cat seemingly wants to re-establish the tie she, herself, broke as the girls were heading off to college. Finally, Georgia is drawn into the lives of those knitters who regularly participate in the weekly knitting club. Fellow knitters become Georgia's true friends as the true crisis of the novel unfolds.The Friday Night Knitting Club is really about friendship and love with a little knitting thrown in. Kate Jacobs created very "real" characters, not charicatures. The single mother is not just the put-upon woman who found herself pregnant: she is a former careerwoman whose hardworking farm background prepared her to meet the challenges of working and raising a child alone in the city. The widow, Anita, is not just another Jewish mother; she is a vibrant crafter who can tolerate her children and grandchildren for only so long. Darwin, the young Ph.D. candidate, is not the characteristically excellent Asian-American student; she can't commit to a thesis topic, and she is easily distracted by everything. The author created pithy, complex characters who propel the story forward to the last sentence. FNKC does not have a happy ending like LWI, but it is a much more fulfilling read.
I'll finish with a little Hollywood:
- Sarah Jessica Parker will star in the movie version of Love Walked In. The Hollywood trades report that SJP will co-produce the movie with Paramount.
- Julia Roberts will star in the movie version of The Friday Night Knitting Club. Roberts, a an avid knitter, will co-produce the film with Universal; it is scheduled for release in 2009.
Did I mention that Brilliant Deb, a mom from Moose's Pre-K class, asked me to participate in the book club she wants to start? I am anxious to join that group because Brilliant Deb teaches English at the private school's high school. Brilliant Deb got her name for good reason: she has masters' degrees in English and American Literature from the University of Pennsylvania and a master's in English Language and Literature from Oxford University. I would gladly discuss books with her anytime!
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Rule, Brittania
I've been brushing up on my Shakespeare [nod to Cole Porter], as it were. I've been trying to write very short synopses of all the plays and got through the comedies, the tragedies and a few of the histories before I burned out. I just listed the rest of the histories and the late romances on separate index cards.In piecing together The Bard's Henries and Richards, I realized I needed to get a handle on the British monarchy. So, I made index cards for each royal house and listed the members. It was a fascinating exercise that made me wish I had taken European History instead of Comparative Governments in college. Oh well. At any rate, my research led me to this mnemonic verse of monarchs in England:
Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee,Pretty cute, huh? FYI: Willie=William; Harry=Henry; Stee=Stephen; Ned=Edward; Dick=Richard; Bessie=Elizabeth; Charlie=Charles; Anna Gloria=Anne. If the Prince of Wales ever accedes to the throne, he'll be Charles III. When Prince William takes the throne, he'll be William V. If, by chance, Prince Harry becomes king, he will be Henry IX. I could even tell you whom the verse omitted, but then I'd have to shoot myself for knowing entirely too much detail.
Harry, Dick, John, Harry three;
One, two, three Neds; Richard two;
Harrys four, five, six . . . then who?
Edwards four, five; Dick, the bad;
Harrys twain, Ned six (the lad);
Mary, Bessie, James you ken;
Then Charlie, Charlie, James (again);
William and Mary, Anna Gloria;
Georges four, Will four, Victoria;
Edward seven, next and then
Came George the fifth in 1910;
Ned the eighth soon abdicated,
Then George the sixth was coronated;
After which, Elizabeth.
And that's all folks until her death.
All hail Brittania!
Closest Book Meme
I think I've done this one before, but I happen to have a book on my [clean!!!] desk right now.
The game: Grab the nearest book to you. Open the book to page 123. Find the fifth sentence. Post the text of the next 4 sentences on your blog along with these instructions. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.
The book: How To Get On Jeopardy! . . . And Win! Valuable Information From A Champion, by Michael Dupée (1988, Carol Publishing Group, Secaucus, New Jersey) [out-of-print]
(From Chapter 8, "Learning the Facts: Cooking and Food")
I have been reviewing the fact sections in this book to help me prepare for the Jeopardy taping in two weeks. The more I study, the more I forget. It is overwhelming.
The game: Grab the nearest book to you. Open the book to page 123. Find the fifth sentence. Post the text of the next 4 sentences on your blog along with these instructions. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.
The book: How To Get On Jeopardy! . . . And Win! Valuable Information From A Champion, by Michael Dupée (1988, Carol Publishing Group, Secaucus, New Jersey) [out-of-print]
(From Chapter 8, "Learning the Facts: Cooking and Food")
Q. This yellow, pear-shaped fruit contains enzymes that break down meat.
A. Papaya
Q. Another name for a carambola, which describes its shape. A. Starfruit
Q. The Hawaiian solo variety of this fruit is best. A. Papaya
And Finally, An After-Dinner Coffee
What better finish to a meal than a steaming cup of coffee? If you said "potent potable," see the next chapter.
I have been reviewing the fact sections in this book to help me prepare for the Jeopardy taping in two weeks. The more I study, the more I forget. It is overwhelming.
Friday, July 13, 2007
7 Random Facts Meme
Doc Thelma tagged me with this a couple of weeks ago. The random facts meme has been circulating privately as seven random facts amongst the August Moms, although Doc Thelma tagged me with eight.
The Rules: Players start with 7 random facts about themselves. Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 7 random facts. Players should tag 7 other people and notify them they have been tagged.
Dispatches From Maine
Life In The Bogs
Stunt Mother
Tales From the Parkside
X Facta
Radio Mom
Calvin
The Rules: Players start with 7 random facts about themselves. Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 7 random facts. Players should tag 7 other people and notify them they have been tagged.
- I am the second person from my high school graduating class to appear on Jeopardy!
- My oldest and dearest friends are, not one but two, sets of twins with whom I grew up in the DC area. Both sets of twins and their families now live near each other in Northern California.
- Brussels sprouts are vile little things. So are lima beans.
- I studied ballet for 10 years, 5 of which were in a (UK) Royal Academy of Dance program.
- I am a serial "starter" of things but leave many projects undone.
- When I was in labor with Wizard, I had a vision (premonition) of him before he was born: I saw his face rejuvenate from a teenage boy to baby.
- I once met Justice Anthony Kennedy of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Dispatches From Maine
Life In The Bogs
Stunt Mother
Tales From the Parkside
X Facta
Radio Mom
Calvin
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Murphy's Law Of The Home
Whatever can go wrong in the home, will go wrong. And it will happen in the middle of the night, in the least convenient way possible.
Case No. 1: This morning, at approximately 5:25 a.m., a sharp, piercing beep jolted me out of a snoring slumber. It was the smoke detector in the foyer. You know, the foyer with the lovely cove ceiling that is 14+ feet up? That foyer. WineGuy, who was up at 5:00 showering (which woke me earlier), ambled upstairs to check the smoke detectors in the boys' rooms. Apparently, Moose's smoke detector chirped for a battery last night; WineGuy changed it, but the battery was bad. And Moose's room was a Superfund sight. And WineGuy couldn't find a flashlight. And several other problems, which are apparently my fault.
But, I digress. To get to the smoke detector in the foyer, one must utilize the 10' step ladder, which is in the garage, and another 9-volt battery, which is also in the garage. I, in my fetching cotton nightshirt, stumbled and grumbled into the 80º garage. I retrieved a battery from the Battery Cave (a/k/a the freezer) and gingerly extricated the step ladder from its nest amidst the bicycles, tennis rackets, and palmetto bugs. I wrestled the mythical beast through the front door, into the foyer, and into position. WineGuy spent another 5 minutes precisely angling the ladder so he could reach the smoke detector – at 6'4" he can reach it by standing on a lower rung than the top one, which I would have to do. WineGuy climbed the ladder andbroke took apart the smoke detector. He asked for a screwdriver, and I dutifully fetched it. Woof. He spent 10 minutes in the stratosphere changing the battery and trying to screw the confounded alarm back into its very complicated holder. While dutifully holding the ladder, I used time to dream up creative uses for said screwdriver. WineGuy finally put the smoke detector back in place and climbed down. He graciously held the front door for me to haul the great step ladder back out to the garage. When I came back inside, WG gave me explicit instructions on how and why to fix Moose's smoke detector (sometime during daylight hours), because of course, I could not figure it out for myself. So – not – true.
Case No. 2: It was 1999 in the early spring, and I was still pregnant with Wild Thing. [must ... resist ... urge ... to post in iambic pentameter] WineGuy woke me from a happy slumber with the news that Wizard, then 2.5 years, had vomited in his bed. As if that weren't joyous enough, WineGuy then reported that when he went to put the soiled bedding in the washer, he found a lake in the laundry room. The washer hoses had burst, sending dozens of gallons of water across the 2d floor laundry and down two stories, through the office and back room and into the basement of That Old House (our 1856 Federal Revival home). WineGuy shut off the washer valves to stop the flood. We used every towel in the house to sop up a small fraction of the mess. Surveying the damage, I found the plaster ceiling sagging in the office and 3 solid cherry bookcases full of soaked books. Thankfully, our insurance agent sent in the water restoration team at first light. They dried out the house and saved a lot of square footage and stuff. In the end, we had to refinish the laundry room floors and walls, drywall the office ceiling, refinish the office and back room floors (finding a plumbing leak in the process), and repaint the office.
Now, it is 7:00 a.m. The children and I are wide awake, and Moose's room is still a mess.
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
Case No. 1: This morning, at approximately 5:25 a.m., a sharp, piercing beep jolted me out of a snoring slumber. It was the smoke detector in the foyer. You know, the foyer with the lovely cove ceiling that is 14+ feet up? That foyer. WineGuy, who was up at 5:00 showering (which woke me earlier), ambled upstairs to check the smoke detectors in the boys' rooms. Apparently, Moose's smoke detector chirped for a battery last night; WineGuy changed it, but the battery was bad. And Moose's room was a Superfund sight. And WineGuy couldn't find a flashlight. And several other problems, which are apparently my fault.
But, I digress. To get to the smoke detector in the foyer, one must utilize the 10' step ladder, which is in the garage, and another 9-volt battery, which is also in the garage. I, in my fetching cotton nightshirt, stumbled and grumbled into the 80º garage. I retrieved a battery from the Battery Cave (a/k/a the freezer) and gingerly extricated the step ladder from its nest amidst the bicycles, tennis rackets, and palmetto bugs. I wrestled the mythical beast through the front door, into the foyer, and into position. WineGuy spent another 5 minutes precisely angling the ladder so he could reach the smoke detector – at 6'4" he can reach it by standing on a lower rung than the top one, which I would have to do. WineGuy climbed the ladder and
"But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east . . ." and the sun rises o'er the swamp.
--From Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)
Case No. 2: It was 1999 in the early spring, and I was still pregnant with Wild Thing. [must ... resist ... urge ... to post in iambic pentameter] WineGuy woke me from a happy slumber with the news that Wizard, then 2.5 years, had vomited in his bed. As if that weren't joyous enough, WineGuy then reported that when he went to put the soiled bedding in the washer, he found a lake in the laundry room. The washer hoses had burst, sending dozens of gallons of water across the 2d floor laundry and down two stories, through the office and back room and into the basement of That Old House (our 1856 Federal Revival home). WineGuy shut off the washer valves to stop the flood. We used every towel in the house to sop up a small fraction of the mess. Surveying the damage, I found the plaster ceiling sagging in the office and 3 solid cherry bookcases full of soaked books. Thankfully, our insurance agent sent in the water restoration team at first light. They dried out the house and saved a lot of square footage and stuff. In the end, we had to refinish the laundry room floors and walls, drywall the office ceiling, refinish the office and back room floors (finding a plumbing leak in the process), and repaint the office.
Now, it is 7:00 a.m. The children and I are wide awake, and Moose's room is still a mess.
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Clean and Dirty
My desk is clean! I would take a picture to show you, but my digital camera is dead. You already knew that. I spent hours and hours and hours yesterday and today sorting through every blasted piece of paper piled on there. I filed some of it but trashed tons. Still need to clean the piles of children's artwork stacked up all around my office. I have half a mind to trash it all. There's a huge backlog of Mac magazines to go through in my spare time whenever. They'll have to wait until the Jeopardy trip is over.
My laundry needs some serious attention, but apparently less so than the boys' rooms. AGAIN! Damnitalltohell. I spent days and days in their rooms digging everything out and putting everything away, and they trashed them. Pulled all the towels out of the linen closet, messed up the bathroom, food and candy wrappers everywhere. Wild Thing tried to pull a nightlight out of a socket in his room and pulled the whole freakin' faceplate off the outlet. WTF?! I should have suspected the pigpen when WT lost one shoe (+ one expensive orthotic) for a couple of days. They all claimed to have looked for hours today, but no one could find it. They all lied through their teeth about how clean their rooms were. I'm so pissed off at them, especially Wizard. He is a manipulative, conniving, overgrown toddler.
I'm trying to get organized and study and be prepared for the biggest opportunity of my life, and my husband is bitching that I need to go upstairs and inspect the boys' rooms daily. Hello? I feed them, bathe them, wash their clothes, entertain them, and chauffeur them everywhere. I do not feel like policing the upstairs. That was always WineGuy's job: he would put them to bed each night and check on their rooms. He no longer puts them to bed – because he says they're old enough to go to sleep on their own – and he never climbs the stairs anymore. Too damn lazy, IMVHO.
Frazzled again.
My laundry needs some serious attention, but apparently less so than the boys' rooms. AGAIN! Damnitalltohell. I spent days and days in their rooms digging everything out and putting everything away, and they trashed them. Pulled all the towels out of the linen closet, messed up the bathroom, food and candy wrappers everywhere. Wild Thing tried to pull a nightlight out of a socket in his room and pulled the whole freakin' faceplate off the outlet. WTF?! I should have suspected the pigpen when WT lost one shoe (+ one expensive orthotic) for a couple of days. They all claimed to have looked for hours today, but no one could find it. They all lied through their teeth about how clean their rooms were. I'm so pissed off at them, especially Wizard. He is a manipulative, conniving, overgrown toddler.I'm trying to get organized and study and be prepared for the biggest opportunity of my life, and my husband is bitching that I need to go upstairs and inspect the boys' rooms daily. Hello? I feed them, bathe them, wash their clothes, entertain them, and chauffeur them everywhere. I do not feel like policing the upstairs. That was always WineGuy's job: he would put them to bed each night and check on their rooms. He no longer puts them to bed – because he says they're old enough to go to sleep on their own – and he never climbs the stairs anymore. Too damn lazy, IMVHO.
Frazzled again.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Dead Cameras
When I was in DC last month, I went to use my 2 year-old digital camera (Canon SD400 Digital Elph), 
and it was dead. The battery was fully charged, but it wouldn't work. I finally took it to Ritz Camera the other day, convinced it needed a new proprietary battery. The clerk, who happened to be the manager, was arrogantly sure that it was the camera and not the battery. He was right. Damn! He tried to sell me a new camera, but I wanted to check my warranty. I checked it and called the service company which is sending me a call-tag for repairs. The call-tag still hasn't shown up, and I'm required to use it to send the camera off to Pensacola for repairs. I'm worried I won't have a camera to take to Los Angeles.
So, I pulled out my old film camera, which I use occasionally. It's a 35mm Pentax point-and-shoot. It was dead, too. Damn, damn!! I took a look at the screen, and it apparently needs a battery. I'm headed to Radio Shack for a camera battery tomorrow. If that doesn't fix the film camera, I'm sunk.
In a way, I'd love to have a new digital camera that has more of a zoom than my little Elph. However, I just don' t have the time or mental energy to researching and learning a new camera. What to do, what to do? I'm open to suggestions.
and it was dead. The battery was fully charged, but it wouldn't work. I finally took it to Ritz Camera the other day, convinced it needed a new proprietary battery. The clerk, who happened to be the manager, was arrogantly sure that it was the camera and not the battery. He was right. Damn! He tried to sell me a new camera, but I wanted to check my warranty. I checked it and called the service company which is sending me a call-tag for repairs. The call-tag still hasn't shown up, and I'm required to use it to send the camera off to Pensacola for repairs. I'm worried I won't have a camera to take to Los Angeles.So, I pulled out my old film camera, which I use occasionally. It's a 35mm Pentax point-and-shoot. It was dead, too. Damn, damn!! I took a look at the screen, and it apparently needs a battery. I'm headed to Radio Shack for a camera battery tomorrow. If that doesn't fix the film camera, I'm sunk.
In a way, I'd love to have a new digital camera that has more of a zoom than my little Elph. However, I just don' t have the time or mental energy to researching and learning a new camera. What to do, what to do? I'm open to suggestions.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Brain Freeze
I've been studying like mad for Jeopardy. Today, I decided to study maps and geography, which are strong subjects for me. Wizard was quizzing me on world capitals, and I missed a lot of them. Which made me panic. Which drove me to the (all too detailed) world atlas, which in turn drove me back to the general maps in the almanac. So, I made flashcards ... lots and lots of flashcards.
At one point, I was studying the Canadian provinces and was looking at the newest one, Nunavut, which was split off from the Northwest Territories in the late 1990s. However, my almanac did not show the capital of Nunavut. So, I trotted over to the boys' computer and looked it up. For your information, the capital of Nunavut is Iqaluit, located on the east coast of Baffin Island, which is so unbelievably far north that I'm certain no one has ever been there except for three polar bears and an elephant seal. The town has a mayor, and she acknowledges that it's in the remote Arctic tundra. I'm not kidding! Look here.
If you are a regular Jeopardy watcher and have suggestions on categories that appear frequently, i.e. what to study, please leave me a comment.
Thanks for tuning in to the Trivia Channel, all drivel all the time.
At one point, I was studying the Canadian provinces and was looking at the newest one, Nunavut, which was split off from the Northwest Territories in the late 1990s. However, my almanac did not show the capital of Nunavut. So, I trotted over to the boys' computer and looked it up. For your information, the capital of Nunavut is Iqaluit, located on the east coast of Baffin Island, which is so unbelievably far north that I'm certain no one has ever been there except for three polar bears and an elephant seal. The town has a mayor, and she acknowledges that it's in the remote Arctic tundra. I'm not kidding! Look here.
If you are a regular Jeopardy watcher and have suggestions on categories that appear frequently, i.e. what to study, please leave me a comment.Thanks for tuning in to the Trivia Channel, all drivel all the time.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Divination Quiz, Year 7
Wizard is a huge Harry Potter fan. He's angling for me to (drive the 115 miles) to take him to the IMAX showing of "Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix" next week. I haven't decided, but I did show him Doc Thelma's and One Feather Tail's predictions on the Year 7 Divination Quiz. Here are his very educated responses.
Prediction /Possibility | True/ False |
| 1. Hogwarts will be closed for the entire year. | False |
| 2. Harry will enroll in Year 7 classes at Hogwarts. | False |
| 3. Ron will enroll in Year 7 classes at Hogwarts. | False |
| 4. Hermione will enroll in Year 7 classes at Hogwarts. | False |
| 5. Harry will take N.E.W.T. exams. | False |
| 6. Ron will take N.E.W.T. exams. | False |
| 7. Hermione will take N.E.W.T. exams. | False |
| 8. Harry will be Head Boy at Hogwarts. | False |
| 9. Ron will be Head Boy at Hogwarts. | False |
| 10. Hermione will be Head Girl at Hogwarts. | False |
| 11. Harry will teach Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. | False |
| 12. The DADA teacher at Hogwarts will be ________________________. (fill in the blank) | Mad-Eye Moody |
| 13. Harry's scar is a Horcrux. | False |
| 14. Nagini is a Horcrux. | True |
| 15. Slytherin's locket is a Horcrux. | True |
| 16. Hufflepuff's cup is a Horcrux. | True |
| 17. The locket that nobody could open at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place is a Horcrux. | False |
| 18. Harry will keep his Horcrux quest secret from the Order of the Phoenix. | True |
| 19. R.A.B. = Regulus A. Black. | True |
| 20. R.A.B. has already destroyed the locket-Horcrux. | True |
| 21. Voldemort already knows (by the end of Half-Blood Prince) that R.A.B. took the locket-Horcrux from the cave. | False |
| 22. Voldemort already knows (by the end of Half-Blood Prince) that Harry is seeking his Horcruxes. | False |
| 23. Albus Dumbledore is really dead. | True |
| 24. On top of the "Lightening-Struck Tower," Dumbledore was asking Snape to kill him. | False |
| 25. Dumbledore gave Snape the DADA position because he knew Snape would be leaving Hogwarts at the end of the school year. | False |
| 26. Dumbledore will communicate with Harry through his portrait in the Headmaster's office. | True |
| 27. Dumbledore will communicate with Harry through the Pensieve. | False |
| 28. Harry will use the Sorcerer's Stone. | False |
| 29. Harry will return to the Chamber of Secrets. | False |
| 30. Harry will be a Prisoner of Azkaban (or at least go there). | False |
| 31. Harry will use the Goblet of Fire. | False |
| 32. Harry will join the Order of the Phoenix. | True |
| 33. Harry will (intentionally) join forces with the Half-Blood Prince. | False |
| 34. Harry will visit a place called the Deathly Hallows. | True |
| 35. One of the Dursleys will learn to do magic. | False |
| 36. Petunia will (intentionally) give Harry vital information before he leaves Privet Drive. | True |
| 37. Ron and Hermione will be a couple. | True |
| 38. Harry and Hermione will be a couple. | False |
| 39. Harry and Ginny will get back together. | True |
| 40. Ron and Hermione have already kissed "off-screen" by the end of Half-Blood Prince. | False |
| 41. Sibyll Trelawney will make another real prophecy. | True |
| 42. Rufus Scrimgeour will be Minister of Magic at the end of Deathly Hallows. | False |
| 43. Harry will use the Mirror of Erised again. | False |
| 44. Harry will use the sword of Godric Gryffindor again. | False |
| 45. Harry will use the Sorting Hat. | False |
| 46. Harry will use a Time-Turner. | False |
| 47. Harry will use the two-way mirror that Sirius gave him. | False |
| 48. Harry's knowledge of Muggle artifacts will save him from imminent danger. | True |
| 49. Grawp will (intentionally) save Harry/Ron/Hermione from danger. | True |
| 50. The Weasleys' - now wild - flying Ford Anglia will play a significant role in saving and/or transporting Harry/Ron/Hermione. | False |
| 51. Aside from James, Lily, Harry, and Voldemort, there was at least one other person present at the Potters' house the night James and Lily died. | True |
| 52. Bill Weasley will become a full werewolf. | False |
| 53. How did James and Lily Potter acquire their small fortune? _________________________________ (fill in the blank) | They took it from Tom Marvolo Riddle's vault at Gringotts. |
| 54. Snape is an Animagus. | False |
| 55. We will learn more about the relationship between Lily and Snape. | True |
| 56. A current member of the Order of the Phoenix will betray Harry. | True |
| 57. The Death Eaters will attack Privet Drive. | True |
| 58. The Death Eaters will attack The Burrow. | False |
| 59. The Death Eaters will attack during Bill and Fleur's wedding. | False |
| 60. The Death Eaters will attack Hogwarts. | False |
| 61. The Death Eaters will attack Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. | False |
| 62. Draco will abandon the Death Eaters. | True |
| 63. Peter Pettigrew, a/k/a Wormtail, will abandon the Death Eaters. | True |
| 64. Snape will be openly allowed back into the Order of the Phoenix. | False |
| 65. Snape is truly loyal to: | B |
| 66. Dumbledore trusts Snape because: | A |
| 67. Snape began working as a double agent for the Order: | C |
| 68. Harry will use, or attempt to use, an Unforgivable Curse. | True |
| 69. Harry will use, or attempt to use, the Avada Kedavra Curse on Voldemort. | True |
| 70. Someone other than Harry will actually finish-off Voldemort, even though Harry will have done most of the work. (i.e. Darth tosses the Emperor, Gollum falls in with the ring.) | True |
| 71. The U.S. edition cover-art for Deathly Hallows, portrays the final showdown. | False |
| 72. The U.S. edition cover-art for Deathly Hallows, portrays Harry and Voldemort reaching for a Horcrux. | True |
| 73. Harry will destroy at least one Horcrux by sending it through the Veil. | False |
| 74. The Deathly Hallows is: (a) at Hogwarts | C |
| 75. The final showdown will be at: | E |
| 76. Harry will survive. | True |
| 77. Ron will survive. | True |
| 78. Hermione will survive. | True |
| 79. Ginny will survive. | True |
| 80. Neville will survive. | True |
| 81. Luna will survive. | True |
| 82. Hagrid will survive. | True |
| 83. Lupin will survive. | True |
| 84. Tonks will survive. | True |
| 85. Molly and Arthur will survive. | True |
| 86. Fred and George will survive. | True |
| 87. Bill and Fleur will survive. | True |
| 88. Percy will survive. | True |
| 89. Voldemort will survive. | False |
| 90. Snape will survive. | False |
| 91. Peter Pettigrew will survive. | True |
| 92. Bellatrix will survive. | False |
| 93. Lucius Malfoy will survive. | False |
| 94. Narcissa Malfoy will survive. | True |
| 95. Draco Malfoy will survive. | True |
| 96. Harry will become an Auror. | False |
| 97. Harry will become a professor at Hogwarts. | False |
| 98. Ron will become a professor at Hogwarts. | True |
| 99. Hermione will become a professor at Hogwarts. | True |
| 100. Neville will become a professor at Hogwarts. | True |
| 101. The final word of Deathly Hallows will be "scar." | True |
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
A Powerful Film
Radio Mom and I went to see "A Mighty Heart" a couple of nights ago. We both were mildly interested in the film until I read that the screenwriter is married to one of my favorite bloggers, Tales From The Park Side. She announced 2 weeks ago that her husband's movie was opening, and I was excited to go see it.The movie is based on Mariane Pearl's eponymously titled memoir about the "brave life and death" of her husband, Daniel Pearl. Curiously enough, the majority of the movie takes place in the Karachi apartment Mariane and Daniel Pearl shared with his Wall Street Journal colleague, Asra Nomani, but the film really spans the globe – geographically and emotionally. We all know how tragically the story ended. The movie shows us how the story developed, through Mariane's eyes.
One evening, Daniel Pearl left his pregnant wife to meet with an elusive source, further research a story on the shoe-bomber, Richard Reid. Pearl never came home. What follows is Mariane's courageous search for her husband. We see the fetid, teeming streets of Karachi, Pakistan contrasted with the cool, elegance of the apartment; the quiet joy of the Pearls' Buddhist-Jewish wedding ceremony flung against the horror of kidnapping and terrorism.
Through it all, Angelina Jolie, as Mariane Pearl, comes across as unflinchingly devoted wife, and a dogged journalist. I am no fan of Ms. Jolie. I personally think she's traded on her beauty to advance her acting career. However, she gave a stunning performance in "A Mighty Heart." Radio Mom and I agreed that she'll get an Oscar nomination for this film and she would likely win. [The one, picky thing that bothered me through the whole film was her poor French accent; she needed a better voice coach, like the one Meryl Streep uses.] I've been a fan of Dan Futterman's since he appeared on TV's "Judging Amy". Although his on-screen part was small, he played it with great conviction and integrity.
Grab your tissues and your good friend and go see "A Mighty Heart". Bravo to John Orloff, the screenwriter for this film. I predict he's going to be nominated for an Oscar, too.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Hardly Work
Potential TV stardom is hard work. In addition to the approximately 1 hour each day I (should) spend studying, I need to have clothes for my Jeopardy appearance. The clothes that are already in my closet will not do. They are "old". I have seen them before . . . never mind that 99.9% of the world has not seen them before. I must have new clothes. Fabulous new clothes, not just a new t-shirt from WalMart.
Fabulous new clothes required a field trip to Miami, where there are real stores, i.e. different stores than we have have near The Zone. Miami is less than two hours from here and is my old stomping ground. When I was young, single, and fabulous, I lived in Miami for about 8 years. There are a couple of specialty stores in which I have shopped for nearly 20 years. (For those that haven't met me personally, I am a plus-size woman; the stores sell high-end plus-size clothing.) Now that I'm old, married, and decidedly not fabulous, I still shop in those stores because of their good service and reliable selection. So, off I went to Miami yesterday, sans husband and children, thank goodness. I won't bore you with the details of the trip other than to say I did find three beautiful knit pieces by Misook.
Here's a picture of a jacket I got on sale for half-price. The store didn't have the yellow shell, so I'll just wear a cream-colored one.
I bought another jacket much like this one, except the contrast color on mine is plum. I also got a coordiating black shell with variegated plum trim to go underneath. These pieces were all half-price, thankfully, since they were really expensive to begin with.
I'll plan my "show wardrobe" largely on black pants and skirts with colorful tops. It will be easier and quicker to change that way. I'll check out the few stores closer to home to see what else I can add to my show clothes.
Oh, yeah, I'm supposed to be studying every day. An hour is clearly not enough – and some days I don't even get that – but, being home with three boys is not exactly conducive to a quiet study hall. I also need to complete another contestant questionnaire and fax it and the confidentiality agreement back to the contestant coordinators. I also have some more travel arrangements to make. Not sure how I'll get it all done unless I allow the boys to watch TV all day. Hmmm . . . I see a lot of "Spongebob" in their future this week.
Fabulous new clothes required a field trip to Miami, where there are real stores, i.e. different stores than we have have near The Zone. Miami is less than two hours from here and is my old stomping ground. When I was young, single, and fabulous, I lived in Miami for about 8 years. There are a couple of specialty stores in which I have shopped for nearly 20 years. (For those that haven't met me personally, I am a plus-size woman; the stores sell high-end plus-size clothing.) Now that I'm old, married, and decidedly not fabulous, I still shop in those stores because of their good service and reliable selection. So, off I went to Miami yesterday, sans husband and children, thank goodness. I won't bore you with the details of the trip other than to say I did find three beautiful knit pieces by Misook.
Here's a picture of a jacket I got on sale for half-price. The store didn't have the yellow shell, so I'll just wear a cream-colored one.
I bought another jacket much like this one, except the contrast color on mine is plum. I also got a coordiating black shell with variegated plum trim to go underneath. These pieces were all half-price, thankfully, since they were really expensive to begin with.I'll plan my "show wardrobe" largely on black pants and skirts with colorful tops. It will be easier and quicker to change that way. I'll check out the few stores closer to home to see what else I can add to my show clothes.
Oh, yeah, I'm supposed to be studying every day. An hour is clearly not enough – and some days I don't even get that – but, being home with three boys is not exactly conducive to a quiet study hall. I also need to complete another contestant questionnaire and fax it and the confidentiality agreement back to the contestant coordinators. I also have some more travel arrangements to make. Not sure how I'll get it all done unless I allow the boys to watch TV all day. Hmmm . . . I see a lot of "Spongebob" in their future this week.
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