Sunday, June 27, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Craziness...
My #1 is at a band honor ensemble this weekend.
From the beginning it's been a bit disorganized, but I thought it was because we came into the game pretty late.
Last week I got the packing list that included a black suit. He doesn't have one of his own, but he is borrowing one and that will have to do. I thought we were the only ones who were getting the packing list so late, but I discovered that everyone got their packing list very very late... In the organizers' defense, this is the first time they've ever done anything like this, so a little disorganization is understandable.
I dropped #1 off the other day - they did not have name tags for the boy, but they did have a place for him to sleep. I was a little annoyed, but since there were kids who didn't have rooms or beds, I decided that the name tag was the least of my worries.
A couple of weeks ago, I was sent an email asking for chaperones. I told them I would be more than happy to do that. They told me they needed me on Friday and Saturday.
I arrived there yesterday morning - at 6am. (This meant I was out of bed at 4:30 and on the road shortly before 5am - not to mention that I woke up at 3:30 because I was afraid I'd sleep through my alarm.. you know how it is.)
I was the first chaperone there.
I was there before the organizer - that's fine.. I actually arrived 10 min. early.
I chatted with the organizer and then a few other parents showed up - one had come from a different hotel, others had arrived late the night before, but they were there to chaperone. Lovely, I thought.
The organizer asked me if I was driving. My answer - ummm... no.. I don't drive in DC. (Basically my thought process was this: Are you kidding me? You want me to drive to DC NOW? It's after 7, the traffic is horrendous, there is no parking, and I can't take the HOV lane... If you had wanted me to meet you at the Capitol Building why didn't you say so two weeks ago??)
He said, "Oh, Okay."
We loaded the kids on the buses - checked 'em off as they got on.
There were few seats left for chaperones.
Some chaperones without seats decided to pay for a shuttle.
Not me.
I found #1, handed him the camera, gave him a hug, and told him to have a great day.
I went home.
I got a bunch of band stuff done.
I hung out with my girly.
I took a much deserved nap.
It was a lovely day! It sure beat walking around DC in 95 degree heat.
Today they said they probably don't need me.
I'm not driving 40 miles each way to find out.
Instead, I'm attending an engagement party for the daughter of a friend and then I'm going to polo.
See - now it's all about me.
:-)
From the beginning it's been a bit disorganized, but I thought it was because we came into the game pretty late.
Last week I got the packing list that included a black suit. He doesn't have one of his own, but he is borrowing one and that will have to do. I thought we were the only ones who were getting the packing list so late, but I discovered that everyone got their packing list very very late... In the organizers' defense, this is the first time they've ever done anything like this, so a little disorganization is understandable.
I dropped #1 off the other day - they did not have name tags for the boy, but they did have a place for him to sleep. I was a little annoyed, but since there were kids who didn't have rooms or beds, I decided that the name tag was the least of my worries.
A couple of weeks ago, I was sent an email asking for chaperones. I told them I would be more than happy to do that. They told me they needed me on Friday and Saturday.
I arrived there yesterday morning - at 6am. (This meant I was out of bed at 4:30 and on the road shortly before 5am - not to mention that I woke up at 3:30 because I was afraid I'd sleep through my alarm.. you know how it is.)
I was the first chaperone there.
I was there before the organizer - that's fine.. I actually arrived 10 min. early.
I chatted with the organizer and then a few other parents showed up - one had come from a different hotel, others had arrived late the night before, but they were there to chaperone. Lovely, I thought.
The organizer asked me if I was driving. My answer - ummm... no.. I don't drive in DC. (Basically my thought process was this: Are you kidding me? You want me to drive to DC NOW? It's after 7, the traffic is horrendous, there is no parking, and I can't take the HOV lane... If you had wanted me to meet you at the Capitol Building why didn't you say so two weeks ago??)
He said, "Oh, Okay."
We loaded the kids on the buses - checked 'em off as they got on.
There were few seats left for chaperones.
Some chaperones without seats decided to pay for a shuttle.
Not me.
I found #1, handed him the camera, gave him a hug, and told him to have a great day.
I went home.
I got a bunch of band stuff done.
I hung out with my girly.
I took a much deserved nap.
It was a lovely day! It sure beat walking around DC in 95 degree heat.
Today they said they probably don't need me.
I'm not driving 40 miles each way to find out.
Instead, I'm attending an engagement party for the daughter of a friend and then I'm going to polo.
See - now it's all about me.
:-)
Friday, June 25, 2010
So tell me...
If George W. Bush had been the first President to need a teleprompter installed to be able to get through a press conference, would you have laughed and said this is more proof of how inept he is on his own and is really controlled by smarter men behind the scenes?
If George W. Bush had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to take Laura Bush to a play in NYC, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had reduced your retirement plan's holdings of GM stock by 90% and given the unions a majority stake in GM, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had made a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had given Gordon Brown a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVDs, when Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have thought this embarrassingly narcissistic and tacky?
If George W. Bush had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia , would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had visited Austria and made reference to the non-existent "Austrian language," would you have brushed it off as a minor slip?
If George W. Bush had filled his cabinet and circle of advisers with people who cannot seem to keep current in their income taxes, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had stated that there were 57 states in the United States , would you have said that he is clueless.
If George W. Bush would have flown all the way to Denmark to make a five minute speech about how the Olympics would benefit him walking out his front door in Texas , would you have thought he was a self important, conceited, egotistical prick.
If George W. Bush had been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to "Cinco de Cuatro" in front of the Mexican ambassador when it was the 5th of May (Cinco de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again, would you have winced in embarrassment?
If George W. Bush had mis-spelled the word "advice" would you have hammered him for it for years like Dan Quayle and potatoe as proof of what a dunce he is?
If George W. Bush had burned 9,000 gallons of jet fuel to go plant a single tree on Earth Day, would you have concluded he's a hypocrite?
If George W. Bush's administration had okayed Air Force One flying low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic, would you have wondered whether they actually get what happened on 9-11?
If George W Bush had failed to send relief aid to flood victims throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made homeless than in New Orleans, would you want it made into a major ongoing political issue with claims of racism and incompetence?
If George W. Bush had created the position of 32 Czars who report directly to him, bypassing the House and Senate on much of what is happening in America , would you have approved.
If George W. Bush had ordered the firing of the CEO of a major corporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had proposed to double the national debt, which had taken more than two centuries to accumulate, in one year, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had then proposed to double the debt again within 10 years, would you have approved?
So, tell me again, what is it about Obama that makes him so brilliant and impressive? Can't think of anything? Don't worry. He's done all this in 10 months -- so you'll have three years and two months to come up with an answer.
If George W. Bush had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to take Laura Bush to a play in NYC, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had reduced your retirement plan's holdings of GM stock by 90% and given the unions a majority stake in GM, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had made a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had given Gordon Brown a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVDs, when Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have thought this embarrassingly narcissistic and tacky?
If George W. Bush had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia , would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had visited Austria and made reference to the non-existent "Austrian language," would you have brushed it off as a minor slip?
If George W. Bush had filled his cabinet and circle of advisers with people who cannot seem to keep current in their income taxes, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had stated that there were 57 states in the United States , would you have said that he is clueless.
If George W. Bush would have flown all the way to Denmark to make a five minute speech about how the Olympics would benefit him walking out his front door in Texas , would you have thought he was a self important, conceited, egotistical prick.
If George W. Bush had been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to "Cinco de Cuatro" in front of the Mexican ambassador when it was the 5th of May (Cinco de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again, would you have winced in embarrassment?
If George W. Bush had mis-spelled the word "advice" would you have hammered him for it for years like Dan Quayle and potatoe as proof of what a dunce he is?
If George W. Bush had burned 9,000 gallons of jet fuel to go plant a single tree on Earth Day, would you have concluded he's a hypocrite?
If George W. Bush's administration had okayed Air Force One flying low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic, would you have wondered whether they actually get what happened on 9-11?
If George W Bush had failed to send relief aid to flood victims throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made homeless than in New Orleans, would you want it made into a major ongoing political issue with claims of racism and incompetence?
If George W. Bush had created the position of 32 Czars who report directly to him, bypassing the House and Senate on much of what is happening in America , would you have approved.
If George W. Bush had ordered the firing of the CEO of a major corporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had proposed to double the national debt, which had taken more than two centuries to accumulate, in one year, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had then proposed to double the debt again within 10 years, would you have approved?
So, tell me again, what is it about Obama that makes him so brilliant and impressive? Can't think of anything? Don't worry. He's done all this in 10 months -- so you'll have three years and two months to come up with an answer.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
A map of MY country
A friend sent me this in my email...
I thought it needed to be shared.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND A MAP OF MY COUNTRY
My great grandfather watched as his friends died in the Civil War, my father watched as his friends died in WW II, and I watched as my friends died in Vietnam. None of them died for the Mexican Flag. Everyone died for the U.S. flag.
Just this week, in Texas, a student raised a Mexican flag on a school flag pole; another student took it down. Guess who was expelled...the kid who took it down.
Kids in high school in California were sent home this week on Cinco de Mayo because they wore T-shirts with the American flag printed on them. Enough is enough.
The message below needs to be viewed by every American; and every American needs to stand up for America. We've bent over to appease the America-haters long enough.
I'm taking a stand. I'm standing up because the hundreds of thousands who died fighting in wars for this country, and for the U.S. flag, can't stand up.
If you agree, stand up with me.
If you disagree, please let me know.
I will gladly remove you from my e-mail list.
And shame on anyone who tries to make this a racist message.
A Map Of My Country:
Let me make this perfectly clear!
THIS IS MY COUNTRY!
And, because I make this statement
DOES NOT
Mean I'm against immigration!!!
YOU ARE WELCOME HERE, IN MY COUNTRY!
Welcome! To come through legally - just as members of my family did:
1. Get a sponsor!
2. Get a place to lay your head!
3. Get a job!
4. Live By OUR Rules!
5. Pay YOUR Taxes!
And
6. Learn the LANGUAGE like immigrants
have in the past!!!
AND
7. Please don't demand that we hand over our lifetime
savings of Social Security Funds to you.
If you don't want to forward this for fear of offending someone,
Then YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM!
When will AMERICANS STOP giving away THEIR RIGHTS???
We've gone so far the other way...
bent over backwards not to offend anyone.
But it seems no one cares about the
AMERICAN CITIZEN
WAKE UP America !!!
I thought it needed to be shared.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND A MAP OF MY COUNTRY
My great grandfather watched as his friends died in the Civil War, my father watched as his friends died in WW II, and I watched as my friends died in Vietnam. None of them died for the Mexican Flag. Everyone died for the U.S. flag.
Just this week, in Texas, a student raised a Mexican flag on a school flag pole; another student took it down. Guess who was expelled...the kid who took it down.
Kids in high school in California were sent home this week on Cinco de Mayo because they wore T-shirts with the American flag printed on them. Enough is enough.
The message below needs to be viewed by every American; and every American needs to stand up for America. We've bent over to appease the America-haters long enough.
I'm taking a stand. I'm standing up because the hundreds of thousands who died fighting in wars for this country, and for the U.S. flag, can't stand up.
If you agree, stand up with me.
If you disagree, please let me know.
I will gladly remove you from my e-mail list.
And shame on anyone who tries to make this a racist message.
A Map Of My Country:
THIS IS MY COUNTRY!
And, because I make this statement
DOES NOT
Mean I'm against immigration!!!
YOU ARE WELCOME HERE, IN MY COUNTRY!
Welcome! To come through legally - just as members of my family did:
1. Get a sponsor!
2. Get a place to lay your head!
3. Get a job!
4. Live By OUR Rules!
5. Pay YOUR Taxes!
And
6. Learn the LANGUAGE like immigrants
have in the past!!!
AND
7. Please don't demand that we hand over our lifetime
savings of Social Security Funds to you.
If you don't want to forward this for fear of offending someone,
Then YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM!
When will AMERICANS STOP giving away THEIR RIGHTS???
We've gone so far the other way...
bent over backwards not to offend anyone.
But it seems no one cares about the
AMERICAN CITIZEN
who's being offended!
WAKE UP America !!!
Monday, June 21, 2010
People Watching
I love to go to Polo because the people watching is phenomenal!
This week there was a group of people in one of the very expensive boxes in front of us - we have the cheap seats, but we get to watch those who occupy the expensive seats.
At 7pm a young very pretty single mother arrived with her two kids in tow - literally... they were in a wagon. Excellent choice!We were impressed with her ingenuity. We admired her dress and her large purse which we think doubled as a diaper bag. She parked her wagon next to the box and went in.
The kids were pretty well behaved most of the night until it got to be 9pm. The kids are little - as in 2 and maybe 4 years old. (There is one thing that parents should never fool with and it's bed time. Bed time in this house was sacred until the kids got to be 6 or 8 years old and even then we didn't fool with it unless we didn't have a choice.)
At 9:05, the youngest started whining. The young mom wanted to hang out with her friends and party. It was pretty obvious to any bystander that the mom wanted to stay.
At 9:06, the older boy started acting up. He was jumping, hanging on her, pulling her dress, whining, and generally being a very tired little boy. She got upset with him.
(Kids get bored at parties and at polo. If you don't bring any toys or activities, eventually, they get bored and tired and you've got nothing for distraction purposes.)
Please note that all the other parents of younger kids left at 8:45 when the first match ended...
At 9:10 she put them both in the wagon - there was hope that she just might take them home.
At 9:11 she handed the oldest a sippy cup and the youngest a mostly empty water bottle.
At 9:12 the oldest started sprinkling his sister with the beverage in the sippy cup. The sibling retaliated with hers. The mother got angry and grabbed the sippy cup away, but left the water bottle. Yeah.. like that's gonna work... She proceeded to chat with her now uncomfortable friends.
At 9:15 she started pull the wagon away - away from the parking lot.. Just when you think there's hope, there's not.
At 9:20 she finally left. The kids were both crying.
What, exactly, did she accomplish?
She didn't get to spend as much time with her friends as she would have liked.
She ended up ignoring her kids most of the night.
The kids ended up upset and in trouble.
She ended up frustrated.
Wouldn't a better choice be to simply get a babysitter?
Yes, they are expensive, but honestly... the price they all paid was not worth it.
I paid many babysitters. I didn't have a lot of money, but I certainly didn't bring my kids out when it was an adult party. I'm not saying that Polo is an adult activity, but the box where they were partying was full of adults - not one other kid was in there.
Polo is a family event - when you want it to be. But, if it's not family time, leave the kids at home, you know?
But if she had left the kids at home, I would have told you about their box - their topiary centerpiece, their caterer who worked his read end off all night, their kabobs, their wine selection, their unending supply of enormous strawberries and more... but I got distracted by the drama.
This week there was a group of people in one of the very expensive boxes in front of us - we have the cheap seats, but we get to watch those who occupy the expensive seats.
At 7pm a young very pretty single mother arrived with her two kids in tow - literally... they were in a wagon. Excellent choice!We were impressed with her ingenuity. We admired her dress and her large purse which we think doubled as a diaper bag. She parked her wagon next to the box and went in.
The kids were pretty well behaved most of the night until it got to be 9pm. The kids are little - as in 2 and maybe 4 years old. (There is one thing that parents should never fool with and it's bed time. Bed time in this house was sacred until the kids got to be 6 or 8 years old and even then we didn't fool with it unless we didn't have a choice.)
At 9:05, the youngest started whining. The young mom wanted to hang out with her friends and party. It was pretty obvious to any bystander that the mom wanted to stay.
At 9:06, the older boy started acting up. He was jumping, hanging on her, pulling her dress, whining, and generally being a very tired little boy. She got upset with him.
(Kids get bored at parties and at polo. If you don't bring any toys or activities, eventually, they get bored and tired and you've got nothing for distraction purposes.)
Please note that all the other parents of younger kids left at 8:45 when the first match ended...
At 9:10 she put them both in the wagon - there was hope that she just might take them home.
At 9:11 she handed the oldest a sippy cup and the youngest a mostly empty water bottle.
At 9:12 the oldest started sprinkling his sister with the beverage in the sippy cup. The sibling retaliated with hers. The mother got angry and grabbed the sippy cup away, but left the water bottle. Yeah.. like that's gonna work... She proceeded to chat with her now uncomfortable friends.
At 9:15 she started pull the wagon away - away from the parking lot.. Just when you think there's hope, there's not.
At 9:20 she finally left. The kids were both crying.
What, exactly, did she accomplish?
She didn't get to spend as much time with her friends as she would have liked.
She ended up ignoring her kids most of the night.
The kids ended up upset and in trouble.
She ended up frustrated.
Wouldn't a better choice be to simply get a babysitter?
Yes, they are expensive, but honestly... the price they all paid was not worth it.
I paid many babysitters. I didn't have a lot of money, but I certainly didn't bring my kids out when it was an adult party. I'm not saying that Polo is an adult activity, but the box where they were partying was full of adults - not one other kid was in there.
Polo is a family event - when you want it to be. But, if it's not family time, leave the kids at home, you know?
But if she had left the kids at home, I would have told you about their box - their topiary centerpiece, their caterer who worked his read end off all night, their kabobs, their wine selection, their unending supply of enormous strawberries and more... but I got distracted by the drama.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Scrapping
I'm behind.
Okay... I'm very behind in my scrapbooking.
I am going to start getting my pictures in order so I can crop them...
Baby steps...
I like to crop them before I put them in the book - it works better for me that way.
#1 has a sectional at the school and of course he needs an adult present. I figure I can crop and get the pix in order in that hour and a half...
Then - when the kids are off at camp - after I shovel out their rooms, of course - I'll get down to putting the pictures in the book. This is the part takes me forever. I can slice and dice a picture in a split second, but how it gets placed on the page is such a challenge. (Not that anyone but me really cares!!)
But, I'm running out of time.
I've got to get caught up!
#1 is graduating next spring and I need to be caught up so that I can put his books out during his party - you know... to totally embarrass the poor kid.
Okay... I'm very behind in my scrapbooking.
I am going to start getting my pictures in order so I can crop them...
Baby steps...
I like to crop them before I put them in the book - it works better for me that way.
#1 has a sectional at the school and of course he needs an adult present. I figure I can crop and get the pix in order in that hour and a half...
Then - when the kids are off at camp - after I shovel out their rooms, of course - I'll get down to putting the pictures in the book. This is the part takes me forever. I can slice and dice a picture in a split second, but how it gets placed on the page is such a challenge. (Not that anyone but me really cares!!)
But, I'm running out of time.
I've got to get caught up!
#1 is graduating next spring and I need to be caught up so that I can put his books out during his party - you know... to totally embarrass the poor kid.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Clocking In
Searching for an alarm clock has been an eye opening experience.
I need a regular old fashioned alarm clock for #1 to take to camp. It seems that clock radios are not allowed. I'm fine with that.
FYI - if there is one thing this house is not short on - it's clocks. Gram and Grandpa are clock watchers as am I. There are coo coo clock, grandfather clocks, atomic clocks, clock radios, battery clocks, electric clocks, self wind clocks... you name it - between the two families here - we've got clocks covered. BUT, I don't happen to own a plain old fashioned alarm clock. I gave that up when I got my first clock radio when I went to college all those years ago.
I am sure that if I go next door, Grandpa has 2 or 3 plain old fashioned alarm clocks in various colors to choose from, but I thought I'd see what's out there - just for kicks and giggles.
There are clocks without radios out there. They call them travel alarm clocks. They just happen to run on batteries. Batteries are not the most reliable source of power for a 17 year old boy when it comes to hauling his rear end out of bed. Batteries in his iPod - fine. Batteries in his Ds - fine. Batteries in his alarm clock - not so fine. I KNOW what it takes to get this boy out of bed and it's not one AA battery - he needs full fledged electricity with a really annoying buzz.
Do you know what they call plain old alarm clocks that run on electricity? Retro.
I'm feeling particularly old at the moment.
And yes, I'm going shopping in Grandpa's garage for an alarm clock - as soon as the clock next door chimes 9.
I need a regular old fashioned alarm clock for #1 to take to camp. It seems that clock radios are not allowed. I'm fine with that.
FYI - if there is one thing this house is not short on - it's clocks. Gram and Grandpa are clock watchers as am I. There are coo coo clock, grandfather clocks, atomic clocks, clock radios, battery clocks, electric clocks, self wind clocks... you name it - between the two families here - we've got clocks covered. BUT, I don't happen to own a plain old fashioned alarm clock. I gave that up when I got my first clock radio when I went to college all those years ago.
I am sure that if I go next door, Grandpa has 2 or 3 plain old fashioned alarm clocks in various colors to choose from, but I thought I'd see what's out there - just for kicks and giggles.
There are clocks without radios out there. They call them travel alarm clocks. They just happen to run on batteries. Batteries are not the most reliable source of power for a 17 year old boy when it comes to hauling his rear end out of bed. Batteries in his iPod - fine. Batteries in his Ds - fine. Batteries in his alarm clock - not so fine. I KNOW what it takes to get this boy out of bed and it's not one AA battery - he needs full fledged electricity with a really annoying buzz.
Do you know what they call plain old alarm clocks that run on electricity? Retro.
I'm feeling particularly old at the moment.
And yes, I'm going shopping in Grandpa's garage for an alarm clock - as soon as the clock next door chimes 9.
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