Bits and one Rant

• Watched Mind of Mencia on Comedy Central last night freaking hilarious, being Hispanic myself I could relate to a lot of the jokes. Still, I think everyone would find something funny about it.

• BTW, if you ever get a foot amputated and don’t want to part with it just do what this guy did, but you may have to move to Lawrence KS. Check with your local law enforcement.

• Freakshow of the week award goes to Noel Divine from Florida.
  Soon to start his junior campaign, Noel is already projected to be a blue-chipper in the recruiting field as a running back. In the pictures found in the link he was 15 years old and doing a 315 lbs bench press and a 225 lb incline. Oh, did I mention he is also the adopted son of Deion Saunders? Deion is moving him to the Dallas area and putting him in a 2A school north of Frisco. To his credit, Noel has gone through a lot for a teenager as both his parents are dead and until the adoption was living at a friend's house.

• The Space Shuttle Program is grounded again all because of a plate sized piece of foam. Okay I am sure there is much more to this but I am rather disappointed. It is my opinion that we need to stop spending tons of money on the Space Shuttle and start to focus on the next generation vehicle that will take us back to the Moon and Mars. I think we are starting to see the beginning of the end of the Shuttle program. We need to start diverting funds to the next program and get back in the game. Private companies are already able to achieve manned sub-orbital flights on their own and, more than likely, in ten years will be able to get to low even high orbit on their own. While this is not a bad thing I think the US Government should be a leader in this field. I think Congress has to make a rule that NASA will be funded, not with a yearly budget, but with a planned goal based budget that will prevent NASA wasting time begging Congress for scraps every year. I also think NASA should start asking for money from the general public and fundraise like public television does. I am sure there are laws against it but in this case there should not be.

Lorenzo

Of Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax & Cabbages and Kings

Shoes
If you read this often, you know of Meghan's love of shoes. This relatively new phenomenon has grown because of her recent birthday. She received 4 pair of "dress up shoes" for her birthday and has been clomping around the house ever since. This weekend, while shopping with my mother in law, (who I believe contributed the "Shoe Gene") I saw a harbinger of things to come. Lorenzo and I should buy stock now in all fashion shoe houses, because we are in trouble.
We were in Foley's at Northpark. Meghan's feet are growing and they had a significant sale, so I agreed with Susanna that we should check out the children's shoe section. Meghan was thrilled to see the shoe department. The department was in total disarray because of the sale and lack of salespeople (that's another story), so I sat down on the floor and started sorting through to find some that were her size.
Meghan had a plan of her own. She first demanded "shoes!". This, of course, means "Mom, please take off my current shoes." I obliged. She then started taking random shoes she found and trying them on. If she couldn't get the shoe on herself, she would come to me, take my cheeks in her hands, turn my face toward her and say, "MA!".
I found 5 pair that were her size. 4 pair were tennis shoes of different varieties and one pair were a dressier shoe. They ranged in color from white to pink, some had lights, some had velcro, one had princesses on the side. For those who don't buy kid's shoes, they have some very cool features these days!
Meghan was very willing to try on all 5 pair. She stood up, took a few steps in each. She didn't fall in love with any particular pair. Instead she continued on shopping. She found a pair of size 11 black low top converse that she liked. (She wears a size 6.5.) She found two different pairs of boots she liked. The first was a pink suede, fur lined boot that covered her entire leg because it was so big. The second was a rainbow striped ran boot that was also very big.
If there were ever a time to have a camera phone, shoe shopping with Meghan is that time. I was exasperated by her patience to continue trying on new shoes! I finally selected one pair of the tennis shoes to buy for her. She had no interest in those shoes, though, because she had already tried them on. She would have been perfectly happy trying on shoes until the store closed. My daughter is a shoe salesperson's nightmare at 2. I can only imagine her teen years.
Luckily, after I bought the shoes, she did indeed want to wear them. So in her new pink tennis shoes, she strolled out of Foley's happy with her shoes.
Ships and Sealing Wax and Cabbages and Kings
I didn't really have posts for the others, but had the Lewis Carroll quote in my head.

Of things Blue and Gold....

So as most of you know Lynn and I are Notre Dame alumni. We have just completed an annual ND ritual that ranks high on the list of many alumni.

The Notre Dame Football Ticket Lottery.

This process is very involved. Perhaps too involved in the eyes of observers, who I am sure just don't understand the need for all the fuss. It is just a football game. No, I say. It's Notre Dame Football. BIG Difference.

To say ND makes money off of this lottery is an understatement. I mean, how can they not? Your first step in becoming eligible is to become attend ND and graduate. Thus you just spent a ton on tuition. Second, once you are alumni you have to contribute to the ND Annual Fund in order to get the form that will allow you to enter the lottery. Making the contribution does not guarantee you will get tickets. This contribution is a minimum $50 for Young Alumni (those that have graduated within 7 years) and $100 for Alumni. Once that is taken care of you wait for the lottery form to show up in the mail sometime in April. At this point you pick the games you want to attend and how many tickets you want to buy. Note that there are limits on the number of tickets you can purchase per game. Single ticket prices this year were $56 dollars each. This, of course, is up from last year. Oh, and don’t forget the $15 mandatory service charge for each application. So once this is sent in you get to wait till mid July to get the results. Thankfully, we won tickets on all but one of the games we requested. Ironically, we can only attend one game this year (BYU) so we are helping out others in need with the tickets we will not be able to use. You can figure out that the cost of just getting a ticket can be high, but it is ND Football. You could say we are a bit obsessed.

Now can this possibly be worth it? Well in a word “Yes.” The people that we get to see and times we spend together there are certainly “priceless.” Win or lose, it is like one big party. ND does not have a Homecoming game anymore and has not for quite sometime? Why? Well, it is a moot point. So many alumni come to the games that there is not a need for one. You are bound to see someone you know in a chance meeting.

As of this writing there are 43 days left till kickoff against Pitt. Go Irish! Beat Panthers!

On another ND related note I have recently altered a trombone of mine in anticipation of next years ND Band Alumni Reunion. I know, I know, I am crazy and wacky but I should get good T.V. time, lol. I am including pictures below.

For those who care, this is a used Blessing B128 model I got at a music store. The trombone had been refurbished so I got it at a good price. The hardest part of this process was finding someone who would do a good job relacquering the bell. I had heard of, and seen, other trombones that had custom lacquer jobs but no one in the DFW area does this. Well, not without spray paint and some tape. So I asked around and after about a month heard that Brook Mays bought a respected music store in Abilene that was known for its refurbishment talent and had become their new Brook Mays Refurbishment Center. They also did custom lacquer jobs. SCORE!

After a few email exchanges I was set. Basically, I only wanted the bell of the horn relacquered. The original slide would serve as the ‘gold’ in the blue/gold motif I wanted. The bell had to be stripped of its original lacquer and then nickel plated. The nickel would allow the blue to show up better and not be tinted by the actual brass underneath the original lacquer. Once the nickel set in the blue lacquer was applied. This is just like the normal brass lacquer that is applied to horns, just, well, blue. With the nickel background the blue turns brighter. You take care of the blue lacquer just like you would on a normal horn so there is no hassle with maintenance. I am very pleased to say the least.

Note the mouthpiece. This is a 6 ½ AL Kelly Crystal Blue mouthpiece. It is made out of Lexan which is similar to the material that comprises bulletproof glass and safety eyeglass lenses. This also has the advantage of not conducting heat or cold. Pretty neat huh!

I have figured out how to put some permanent links on the sidebar to the left of this writing so be sure and check those out. It lists other blogs, ND related stuff and trombone related stuff.

• ND Nation is a message board for ND Sport Fans, and not just football.
• Blue Gray Sky Blog is another ND Football related link but with great writing and well thought out articles.
• Jeff Squyres is a very good friend of mine from college and you can see how he is handling is computer related work and twin daughters at the same time.
• nonchalantsavant post some rather interesting finds on the internet and will entertain you at the office while you are bored
• The Phantom Professor caused quite a stir at a local university here in Dallas with her behind the scenes look at the state of academics and the mental state of her students. This is good writing and reading.
• The Online Trombone Journal is the online haven for trombonists around the world.
• I perform with the NDTC
• GrooveBone is an internet radio station devoted to trombone performances and the music behind them.

I will list links for Lynn once she tells me what she would like (This is a hint).

Bravery is the heart that loves beyond all reason

Last night, at dinner with a very dear friend, I discovered a new level of respect for those who love deeply, in a very classical "un-requited love".

I remember reading stories and poems written hundreds of years ago obsessing with the idea and complete romance of un-requited love. Oh, to be pined for as the subjects of those works were. That was the ultimate in romance to me.

I really never considered being the "lover" instead of the "love-e". The very idea of putting my heart out there so openly, so exposed, was not only scary to me, but it was the complete opposite of romance. It would be perfectly fine to be loved by someone, but to love someone so deeply and completely, who didn't love me back. To me, that was un-fathomable...Until yesterday.

My very good friend has had a few too many forays into un-requited love, in my opinion. A heart shouldn't be broken that many times. It doesn't seem fair that there are those who have truly loved so deeply, and then there are those, who will only allow themselves into a relationship where they are the object of love.

Ultimately, though my friend has not yet given up on love. With or without my sage wisdom (ha ha), my friend knows that to love truly and deeply, and to ultimately find love in return, you must allow your heart to be exposed and raw. Pain and risk, be damned. To love, you must be brave.

Typhoid Lynn

So in preparation for her trip to India, Lynn has had to get immunized against all sorts of diseases that we don't really have to worry about here in the States. 7 shots in all. Not only that but the typhoid immunization is actually a course of 4 pills every other day until gone. These pills contain attenuated Salmonella Typhi bacteria and they are in our fridge. I just find it kinda weird that bacteria that has killed millions in the course of our history is sitting next to the butter, attenuated or not. Thankfully, her last dose is tonight so that will be over with.

I am back on nights for six weeks. Ughhhh.

I found a rare version of the Notre Dame Victory March done by Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra on the internet recently. It was recorded from an old 78rpm and is a very decent recording. Basically it is a swing version of the famous tune. I also found a John Valby version of the same song. Valby's version and lyrics are, well, not very polictically correct and should not be heard by anyone younger than 30. The lyrics might make a Marine blush! :) It should be noted that Valby can be considered the father of the old Trombone Pre-Rally drinking songs that were sung at ND. This is more of a forgotten art now since pre-rallies (quick 20 to 30 minute parties given by section or sections after marching practice of a home game and before that night's pep rally) do not exist for the ND Marching Band anymore, or so they say.

Saw, The Grudge, last night. I would say it is pretty much like The Ring, but only at half strength. Glad I did not pay to see it at the theaters.

Alex is becoming quite a reader over the summer and is doing well on his summer workbooks. It is amazing to see how much he soaks up knowledge wise.

Meghan has all her teeth for her age but two and is slowly getting a bigger vocabulary. (Previous sentence editted, thanks Anonymous)


All for now.....

Lorenzo

Tomorrow

Images through glass
Flow by fast
Light changes
Colors vary
Sounds dim
As the days pass
The reflection too
Fades into
Tomorrow

Lynn's Thoughts on US "Leadership"

I have been listening to the news on radio and T.V. for a few days in preparation for the G-8 summit. Unless you have been in a hole, you know that the plight of poor nations, particularly in Africa, are a major topic of discussion.

Those who know me, know that I am not the biggest fan of our current president. His decisions are not at all aligned with those I would make in his position. In my opinion, he is in the back pocket of big business and since they have bank rolled him and the congress we are focused on US business alone, and have even forgotten the people in our great nation.

I am disappointed that we have moved from a nation that leads other nations to a nation that offends, disappoints and even attacks other nations. We have sent our troops to Iraq and Afghanistan for un-successful missions. We are asking the working people of the US to give up their families and fight in a war that we will not win. It seems to be un-endable, unless we pull out. Our president wouldn't understand that, because when he "served his country" he did it in the US without the pains, longing and frustration our military servicemen are now feeling away from home.

My father fought in Vietnam. He served his country with pride for over 20 years in the US Marine Corps. I am proud to say I am a Marine brat and that I have known many honorable men and women in all services throughout my life. I never served, but I hold those who follow the orders of our Commander in Chief in the up-most regard. They are doing as ordered. They deserve hero parades. They deserve better pay. They deserve to be in a war they can win, or they deserve to come home to their families and country that loves them.

At the conference this week, it is rumored that Prime Minister Blair will try to get the 8 nations present to agree that global warming is a problem that must be addressed. I wish him very good luck getting America to agree. It seems that would be a great coup. Our current administration seems to believe that though global warming is a problem, it's a slow problem. Yes, we should reduce the gas emissions but slowly.

In truth, the United States emits well over it's fair share of harmful gases. The emissions will only grow as emerging nations industrialize. However, to keep the US ahead in economic development, our leadership would prefer to ask companies to voluntarily reduce emissions. For those who work for companies in America, have you ever known them to voluntarily do the right thing? Do companies in America reduce paychecks for CEO's and Executives, or lay off the masses? Do CEO's and Executives lose their pensions and health coverage? Do companies even pay taxes in your district?

We may be a great nation, but I think that is because of the painstaking work done by the American public in spite of our leadership. If I wanted my company to make political decisions, I would have gone to work for the government instead of private industry. President Bush would be an inspiration if he made decisions based upon the people who need him to lead, instead of the companies that pay for his elections.

I didn't vote for him. I hope and pray, that we can find a candidate that is willing to make the hard decisions. I want to find a person that will bring America back to a leadership position in the world, instead of one that holds the others back.

KABOOM

Lorenzo here. First of all, Happy 4th of July! A heartfelt thanks to all the servicemen and servicewomen that are busy doing their duty here and abroad.

July 1st was our daughter's 2nd birthday!!! Whoo Hoo! She is a big girl now. We had a small party for her and family and friends which was quite fun. Meghan, it seems, has a thing for shoes. The gifts that got the most reaction were 'dress-up' shoes that came with a Barbie 'dress-up' kit. Her eyes lit up and she let out a loud 'Shhhhoooooeeess!!' for everyone to hear. Too cute!


Meghan with her ssshhhhooooeeess!!! 

Also this weekend we had Lynn's brother, Mike, and his girlfriend, Tracy, in town. It was good to have both in town as it had been a while since Lynn had seen her brother. July 3rd the four of us were able to go to Sambuca in Addison, Tx to sample the fireworks that were part of that city's Kaboomtown celebration. Also, of note was the band playing there. Idle Hands is a coverband whose keyboardist also plays in the trombone choir that I play in. The four of us were able to enjoy a great night on the town and some awesome fireworks.

Previous to this was the North Dallas Trombone choir's June 29th performance at the St Andrews Methodist Church in Plano, TX. Talk about a venue. I walked in and was pretty impressed with the Church. The architecture reminded me of Bass Performance Hall in Ft. Worth, well, minus the Mezzanine Level up, but dang! This church also has the third-largest pipe organ in the area. Just a beautiful piece of work.


St. Andrews from the stage/altar 


The organ and my trombone to the right 

I walked in and played note or two and noted the acoustics. The sound delay was, well, in my mind, perfect. I looked up and saw why. The ceiling has acoutic damping layers. The woodworking, the flat-screen plasma tvs in the foyers, the sound of the organ, this was a awesome venue. What made it even cooler was that we played one piece that had organ accompaniment and fortissimo and fortississimos toward the end. Gotta love controlled loudness.

India

I am doing research for an exciting trip I have coming up. I found out last week that Cadbury is sending me to India in late August.

Developing Leaders Day is a consortium initiative jointed developed by Cadbury and AIESEC International (http://www.aiesec.org/). 15 Cadbury employees were picked to join in teaching young people from across the world about leadership. I will be paired with someone from AIESEC and we will prepare lessons and then teach for a day.

All of this will take place in Agra, India. For those of you who don't know, as I didn't last week, the Taj Mahal is in Agra. I am so excited to get to see that magnificent structure. It will definitely be a memorable experience.

However, the trip over will probably be one I'd like to forget. I called Friday to make my flight plans and here are a few details.

I depart DFW on Friday 8/26 at about 3pm. I'll fly directly from Dallas to Frankfort, Germany. I have a few hour layover there before I head to Delhi, India. I arrive in Delhi at 2am local time on Sunday. From there I have 5 hour trip (they did not specify mode of transportation) to get to Agra. Once in Agra, I have to adjust to the time zone changes and prepare to work.

When I return home, it'll be even better. Many of you know that my birthday is Sept 4. I'll have the longest birthday ever, this year. I leave Delhi, at 2am the morning of Sept 4 and fly back to Frankfort. Again, I have a layover for a few hours and then head home to Dallas. When I land it'll be 3ish local time, still the 4th. Hey, at least I'll get home for my birthday!

I don't know a lot about this trip yet, but I am extremely excited. This will be a great chance to see and learn and I can't wait!

Security is in your pants

Lorenzo and I planned a day to take Alex to Six Flags a few months ago. We thought it would be fun to spend the day with just him and enjoy the park together. Meghan just can't enjoy an amusement park like him yet, and this would be a good chance for us to have some fun for just Alex.

Wednesday was the big day. I was excited to have a day off work in the middle of the week, and spending the day with my two favorite men is always wonderful. We were up early, took Meghan to Blue Ivey and went out for breakfast. We decided to go with IHOP because it's closest to the freeway. There I did discover that Funnel Cakes for breakfast aren't just available in Arkansas. Somehow, I avoided them again.

After a good breakfast, we hit Starbucks for coffee on the way to Arlington and got on the road. Since there were three of us in the car, we could use the HOV and got there in record time.

Upon arrival (before the park opened), we had a few minutes to people watch. Those of you who know me well know this is one of my favorite pastimes. You can definitely see interesting things when people watching. Wednesday was no exception.

I was covering Alex and Lorenzo with sunscreen when a beat up Hyundai pulled into the lot near us. This four door sedan was full of people. As a matter of fact there were 3 adults and four kids in the car. (Actually, one of the "adults" could have been a teenager, but she was smoking a cigarette, so I assume she was 18.)

I feel I must describe this car, because it was the whole scene that made it memorable. The car was black. It had no hubcaps on the wheels. There was a major dent in the hood of the car that had clearly been beat back into "normal" shape. The paint was rusting in spots. There was a sunroof that was damaged pretty badly. The chrome that should have laid flat to the sun room was at about a 45 degree angle to the roof of the car. The windows were down, suggesting the air conditioner wasn't working. This car was in bad shape.

First, the smoking teenager/adult got out. She sucked the cigarette to the filter in one quick strong draw. It was actually impressive to see a cigarette shrivel that fast.

Next, the four kids in the back with her came scrambling out. They appeared pretty normal. The smoking teenager/adult proceeded to arrange her too short shorts that were clearly riding into the nether-regions. Her mother/sister got out next. I believe they had the same tailor for their shorts, because she soon demonstrated the same issue.

Finally, the driver/father/brother (oldest man) got out. He held the door open called to one of the 4 kids. After watching for a few seconds, I realized he had asked for help putting the windows up in the car. He didn't roll up the window, however. Instead, he literally pulled the window up from inside the door frame and had his assistant hold the window while he pushed it closed.

The security system wasn't completely engaged yet. No, this man had a plan to ensure his car was there when he returned from a day of coasters and fun at the park. So he opened the hood of the car and removed two different components from the car/engine and slipped them into his pockets. (I am obviously not a mechanic and I don't claim to be) I really had to ask myself if any self respecting thief would choose to steal this beat up, window doesn't work, Hyundai instead of the other functional cars in the parking lot.

After they headed into the park and Lorenzo, Alex and I were sufficiently protected from the sun, we headed into the park behind this clan. We had a great time on Wednesday riding coasters and walking around. We got back to our car around 3:30 and the black Hyundai was still waiting. I hope they made it home safe.

Forget Lojack, forget The Club, just drive a beat up car and carry small necessary components in your pockets...Security is in your pants!

Funnel Cakes for Breakfast

Happy Monday from Arkansas!

I am up hear for a little known retailer meeting. It seems weird to say "up here" when I am referring to Arkansas. Somehow, Bentonville seems down south and Dallas doesn't to me.

Regardless, it's been a interesting trip, so far. I had a 6:45 flight from DFW. Since I live in Garland, a 4:00am wake up call had me pretty hungry when I landed. On my way to our office, I passed an IHOP and thought, "Breakfast sounds good to me." Quick u-turn, and yes, I was seated quickly with coffee waiting.

My waitress was training, so I had the belief I would get some service from one of the two waitresses who came for my order. I was wrong. I was handed a menu and noticed that they were serving funnel cakes. Yes, you read that right. I should remind you I was in an IHOP, not at a state fair. The options were eggs, 2 links sausage and a side of "red, white and blue funnel cakes", or you could add a side of funnel cakes to any order for $1.49.

After I read the menu twice, and double checked the other tables, to ensure this wasn't a joke for the out of towner's, I decided to pass on the funnel cakes. However, they were very popular. The tables on both sides of me order the tasty treats.

Don't get me wrong. At the state fair, I am as ready for funnel cakes as the next gal, but with breakfast, I'll have to pass.

In case you're ever in need of funnel cakes for breakfast...Arkansas is the place!

Wynn, Chocolate Volcanoes and Tales from the Road

I’ve been on the road more than home lately. Without email, text messaging and voicemail, I am sure this would be a lot harder than it is. Luckily, with all the technology, I am not as out of the loop as I would have once been. Now, that I have properly bowed to the technology gods, I can continue my entry.

Last week, I was at a conference in Vegas. My boss was supposed to attend, but was moving, so I got to go. The location was The Wynn. Wow It is a beautiful hotel/casino. I put the words in that order because it really seems appropriate.

For those of you who don’t know, The Wynn opened this spring. It is one the newest Vegas Casinos, but it was created with a business traveler in mind. For example, the desk had a printer fax with the cable internet access. All wires were provided by the hotel. The phone service was VOIP. Customizable voice mail was available and the business office was well equipped.

For the non business visitor, there were many amenities that made the customer feel special. For example, two robes and set’s of slippers available per room. Two flat screen TV’s, one in the main room and one in the bathroom. Also, cable music stations were available. HUGE BATHTUB! When I say huge, I could lay down in it. I know b/c I did. Stand alone shower and his/her sinks. And for the perpetual dieter, which I am not, there is a scale. Of course this is on top of the other standard hotel amenities you would expect. PS. For women, the hair dryer is a good quality, not the wall unit.

What about the rest of the hotel, beyond the room? There were about 5 restaurants I saw. I didn’t experience any of them. I was on a business trip. However, the Spa is very nice. The massage is well worth the cost. The pool area is large. It’s not particularly family friendly, (Mandalay Bay is better), but it is pleasant and a great place for adults to relax. And, for those interested in sunburns in weird places, there is a topless sunbathing area. For the high dollar sunbather, there are cabanas to rent including food/drinks, shaded cooled sofa, and bed/lounger. It looked decadent.

Finally, since I was on business, I must comment on the meeting facilities. They are a long walk from the room, but they are good. You would think, in a casino, you’d hear slots and smell smoke. Not so at all. The only downer was there was no wireless access in the meeting rooms. Seemed like a missed opportunity to me.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend the Wynn if you’re staying in Vegas soon. It was really a nice place to be.

On to Milwaukee, and no I am not kidding!
I am at Miller today. This is an industry meeting for DSD and it’s not as exciting as I might have hoped. Hotel wise, I am staying at the Milwaukee Hilton. No need to elaborate, it’s a Hilton, and very non-mentionable.

However, dinner last night had a great story. We were at the BBQ Brew house. It’s a steak, ribs and microbrew place. What a great concept for a restaurant! The dinner was good and the beverages flowed freely. Finally, it was time to order dessert. A colleague from PepsiCo, Gina, ordered the Chocolate Volcano. For the women reading this would seem to be a great dessert choice, right? Well, in a very high school like moment, when the dessert was delivered, I was definitely glad I opted for the cheesecake instead.

Gina was presented with a dessert that can only be described as extremely phallic in nature. It was chocolate, it was standing up, it had a hard coating (like a dipped cone at Dairy Queen) and a drizzle of cream from the peak. Poor Gina. The laughter, jokes and comments were reminiscent of a high school lunch room and it only got worse as she tapped it with a fork and announced, “It’s really hard”. My cheeks hurt from laughing.

If you’re ever in Milwaukee and head to the BBQ Brew house, I recommend passing on the Chocolate Volcano. Gina said it was good, but the harassment may not be worth the taste.

Tonight, we are heading to a Brewer’s/Cubs game. Go Cubs!

I head home to Dallas on Thursday and head to Houston from there. Alex and I are visiting Pam for wedding planning and beach visit. It should be a good but busy weekend.

Monday, I am heading to Arkansas. I now know that business travel isn’t near as glamorous as I used to believe. With such exciting locales, it’s kind of hard to be ok with missing my family.

Luckily, after this round of travel, I am on a brief hiatus. I don’t expect it to last, but I will enjoy the time home. I am so blessed that I have Lorenzo, two grandmas, and a grandpa to take care of my family when I am gone. I couldn’t be on the road without the peace of mind they offer.

If there are two take aways from this entry, remember Wynn – yes; Chocolate Volcano - no.

Alex and Marriage

Alex is a very smart six year old. He has a great smile, a hearty laugh like Lorenzo and a heart of gold. I love spending time with him, because you just never know what he'll say next.

Yesterday, he brought up a new idea that was really quite funny. We were getting ready for work and day care when he asked about marriage.

"Mom, does the person I marry have to be a Martinez?"

Being from North Carolina, I certainly didn't want to encourage marriage within the family. I figured I should clarify.
"Alex, did you mean can you only marry people named Martinez?"

"Yes, Mom, you know not every one has our last name. But you're married to Dad and your last name is Martinez." There was a very "duh mom" feeling to this explanation.

"Alex you don't have to marry someone who already has Martinez as a last name. Traditionally, the woman takes the last name of the man. My name used to be Cherry."

"That's good mom. I don't know a lot of Martinez's. It'll be easier if I don't have to look for them only."

Child logic is so simple, it just makes you smile sometimes.

Vacation II

Okay, actually Lynn pretty much summed it up in her entry but I thought I would enter some of the highlights below that I remember.

The flight out was just fine and had no issues. Lynn and I did notice one young woman pretty much covered in tattoos. Now I don't really have an issue with people with tattoos but this woman had her arms, portion of her legs, cleavage, and some of her hands covered with tattoos. That and she was sporting a Pippi Longstalking hairdo but with vertical pigtails and red hair. Needless to say it was a lot of tattoos. When Lynn and I first saw her we both thought her dress (which was multicolored) had sleeves and covered her shoulders. Nope, that was the tattoos. That gives you an idea how how much coverage we are talking about. One thing I did note was that on the plane (I was sitting in the aisle as was she but 4 rows behind her) I saw she had a tattoo in her armpit that had text on it. I noticed since the text continued from out of her underarm. I could not make it out but I thought of some examples:
"Smell me later"
"Scratch and DON'T sniff"
"Contents under pressure"

So we land in Long Beach and had a good drive to Temecula. The whole visit was great and Lynn has already mentioned the wineries. Some highlights/comments:

We had visited the wineries in Temecula Valley 5 years ago and at that time it was just a few wineries with light traffic. I was very much a novice at wines and had no idea what I liked or did not like. Now it seems it is booming. I know it was a holiday weekend but in the past you could even talk to the owner or winemaker and they would tell you all about the wines, the process, etc. but not this trip, which seems ashame. Some of the notables were Ponte, Maurice Car'rie, Churon, Filsinger, Van Roekel, Wilson Creek, and Keyways. Now most wineries only sell their wines in-house, but some distribute locally in the area at a much cheaper price. This is why we always go to Long's Drugs afterwards ( this is like a CVS ). A bottle of wine at Maurice Car'rie would sell at $12 or $15 but at Long's you can find it for $4 or $8. Needless to say we stocked up on what we could.

Alex got to meet Jayden, his younger cousin and Lynn and I noted how Jayden sort of took to Alex since he was older and, in his eyes, very cool to play with. Alex had fun too but I think he had some trouble getting used to being a 'big brother'. Alex would sometimes get after Jayden for doing something Alex didn't want him to do or whatnot. Alex even got after Jayden in his sleep on one night. As we were still awake about 10PM, Alex just started saying in his sleep "Jayden...JAYDEN." It was too funny.

Meghan found solace away from the two boys playing in a swing that was hanging from the deck in the backyard. She would just swing in there for about 20 or 30 minutes at a time, just taking it easy. Sometimes with her juice, other times just with her own thoughts. Talk about relaxing.


Meghan enjoying the swing 


Meghan checking her messages 


After we had stocked up and visited for a few days it was off to Disney which is about a 30 minute drive from Temecula.

We pretty much checked in at the hotel, which was located across the street from Disneyland, and headed over. This was very convenient as it was easy for us to get Meghan back to the room for her naps but allow Alex to stay at the park with either Lynn or I.

While Disneyland is smaller than Walt Disney World, it seems a bit more manageable and less chaotic. I did very little planning for the trip unlike the trip to Walt Disney World and sort of let things happen as we can upon them. Alex had a great time and even rode some of the bigger rides which included two rollercoasters. This is a big step for him and we were glad to see that he was just fine with the rides etc. Meghan took it all in stride and had a pretty good time. Mostly she was interested in steering her own stroller around the parks and eating.

Here are some pictures we took at Disney. I had heard about the firehouse apartment that Walt had on a Disney special on TLC or the Travel Channel. The same special mentioned the center of Disney marked with a golden spike, which I found. And, oh yes, there be trombones there too! Arrrgghhhh!!!!


Firehouse at Disney. The apartment above the garage is where Walt would stay sometimes and watch the crowds. 


This is the exact center of Disney. Do you know where you can find this? 


Trombones at Disney 


Riding Dumbo 


Lunch at California Adventure 


A Mickey chip. 


Alex participating at Playhouse Disney on Stage in California Adventure 


Meghan having a gummy worm snack


On Wednesday we went back to Long Beach and decided to drive around and try to go to the beach and visit the Aquarium of the Pacific. It ended up being way too cold for a beach visit so we drove the PCH to Newport and back and got to see the Pacific from the comfort of the car we rented. The Aquarium was very cool. There were petting pools so that you could touch sharks and stingrays and other aquatic life that you don't see every day.


A stingray at the Aquarium trying to see what is on the other side of the pool wall.


Feeding time for the sea lion at the Aquarium of the Pacfic in Long Beach, CA 


Alex remembered one type of jellyfish that we saw at the Aquarium from a IMAX film we saw about 2 or 3 months ago. They are unique in that they are from Palau and live in a fresh water lake. Not only that but they do not sting and they make their own food inside their bodies. Well, in the IMAX film the person who describes them says they are farmer jellies, where as at the Aquarium they were labled as something else. Alex turned to me and out of the blue tells me that that is wrong. "They are called farmer jellies like in that IMAX film we saw and they make their own food." Sometimes he just comes right out and blows me away with what he remembers and understands.

We actually went back home on Thursday with an uneventful flight. Well, mostly. Meghan had some issues since she started to teethe with her 2-year molars starting to come out, so the flight could have been a bit more tranquil. :) In any event we had a good and relaxing weekend before it was back to the grind on Monday.

Later,

Lorenzo

Vacation

Today is Tuesday and we have been in California since Friday. THIS IS AWESOME.

I should warn you, Lorenzo completely intends to create an entry, so this will only have partial coverage of the vacation.

We are in Anaheim and have spent two fantastic days at Disney. My knees, hips and legs are throbbing from a second day of walking, but it's been great.

Friday, we flew AA from DFW to Long Beach and drove to Temecula where Jesse/Jan live. We got to meet Lorenzo's nephew Jayden and the kids really enjoyed playing with him. He is three, so splits the difference between Alex and Meghan nicely.

We spent Saturday at Chez Martinez, with the exception of a trip to 3 wineries. Temecula has quite the wine valley and Lorenzo and I tasted quite a few. It was a sunny but cool day, so the weather was perfect. This kids played at the house while Jan, Lorenzo and I ventured out.

Sunday was more relaxing and more wine. This time, we went to 5 wineries. The smaller ones were definitely the best. We tasted a strawberry champagne, a pineapple champagne and a rasberry champagne. (I spelled raspberry wrong on purpose...It was actually spelled wrong on signs in the winery. SHAMEFUL!) We also tasted this fantastic late harvest....It was like CHOCOLATE. Yes, we got some of that. Wonderfully, we found some great deals on wine in the local Long's. You can save a ton of $$ if you buy in the drug store when possible. Long's has great deals. When we got back from the vineyards, we warmed up the hot tub and had a soak. What a wonderful way to end a weekend.

Monday - project Disney. We started with a last breakfast at Chez Martinez. I found it funny that Alex wanted to know when we were going to eat out. I suggested he buy the family a meal, but he didn't think that was funny. After a good breakfast we headed out.

It took about an hour to get from Temecula to Anaheim. No traffic and no issues. We checked into the hotel and headed to the park. Wonderfully, we could literally walk from our hotel to the park. We rode a number of rides. The crowds weren't bad at all. The weather was really pleasant, too. We enjoyed the Disney park and had a great time.

Today, Alex and I spent the day at California Adventure. We rode a number of rides twice. The crowds were non existent, so we could walk on to most everything. What a great, great day. To those wanting to visit Disneyland, remember that CA kids don't get out of school until June, so Memorial Day week is a great time to visit. Also, CA Adventure has less congestion than the traditional park. PLUS, it's newer.

Tomorrow, we are heading to the beach and aquarium. Thursday, we're heading home to TX.

This has been a great trip.

MA!

I just have to share three funny Meghan stories.

First, as you may know, Meghan's vocabulary is growing by the day. She has been saying shoes and toothbrush and Maggie for quite a while. I was disturbed however that she wasn't saying mommy. She had da-da down. She even has a version of Alex. Mom, however, seemed out of the question.

In the past week, she has fixed that. She has found a way to get my attention, and mommy isn't her first choice. No, instead we get the full body MA! A picture is worth a thousand words. Imagine a 2 foot girl standing at attention and yelling MA. When you don't answer, she comes closer, MA. If you still don't answer, she'll come closer still MA!

It can be quite comical for the one viewing the event.

Story number 2
Lorenzo and I have fought for years about the proper placement of blankets and sheets on the bed. I prefer a neat bed. Blankets smooth, sheets tucked, general order. Lorenzo prefers chaos. He believes the sheets and blankets should roll with you when you move. That creates a very messy bed and frequent sleep fights.

We have noticed that Alex is a chaotic sleeper too. He rolls and moves and creates a very messy bed. We hadn't noticed a Meghan pattern until recently.

Meghan is a neat sleeper. As Lorenzo put her to bed last night, she first arranged her pillow so that Buzz Lightyear was face up and vertical. Then she laid down and pointed to the blankets. Lorenzo covered her up, but the blankets weren't straight. She directed him to fix the problem. Yes, she is a neat sleeper, like me.

Story number 3
There is a story about a young red headed girl from North Carolina. When she was about 2, she spent a week with her Aunt Betty and Uncle Murray. Betty and Murray were farmers and they had hogs. At the time, they were raising chickens too, so breakfasts were really good down on the farm.

According to the story, one morning, after spending a week with Aunt Betty and Uncle Murray, that young red headed girl was eating breakfast when her mother returned to take her home. Her mother was horrified to find her young girl standing up in her chair with a mouth full of sausage, chewing as she held an additional piece of sausage in her left hand and grabbed for a third piece of sausage with her right. Her mother admonished her behavior and told her to sit down.

Murray stopped that young mom and explained, if he had to kill another hog that young red headed girl could have as much sausage as she pleased.

Now, to the present. This morning, I made eggs, sausage and toast for breakfast. I made 7 sausage patties believing that should be plenty for the four of us. Alex had a piece. Lorenzo had a piece. I had a piece. Meghan had the remaining four. I believe the little red headed girl lives on in Meghan.

I hope you enjoyed the stories.

Congratulations - Not so perfect attendance

Alex graduated today. Lorenzo video'ed it and I took pictures. If you haven't been to a kindergarten graduation, let me paint a scene for you.

First, the location? The cafetorium. That word in itself sends a picture. Yes, it's an elementary school cafeteria that has a partial stage at the front. You're wondering, what does that mean, Lynn? Well, on the wall opposite of the lunch line, there is a large curtained area. There is a stage, if you can call a four foot deep raised platform a stage. Hence, cafetorium.

There were about 40 chairs lined up for the graduates to wait for their diplomas. There were tables with stools (child sized stools-says my rear) for the audience to watch. They played Pomp and Circumstance as the kids entered. You should have seen the smiles and grins. These kids were definitely proud of themselves, but not near so much as the parents.

The principal introduced herself and the teachers. Then, there were awards to be given. Now, I distinctly remember the Perfect Attendance awards from my school days. There were about 8 children who received these. (Please note, Alex wasn't one of them. There are ND games, you know!) Keeley Elementary also has citizenship awards. I remember those too. BUT, I don't remember the Not So Perfect Attendance Award. This award went to children with only 1-2 absences. Are we going too far with awards, here? What's next? The almost Honor Roll.

Finally, for the diplomas. These kids moved fast. 40 diplomas in about 5 minutes. I am not kidding! I literally missed a picture of Alex shaking hands with the principal. The camera couldn't focus fast enough.

I guess that's a sign of the year in general. Alex has finished kindergarten and when I think about it, the year really did fly by, like the diploma ceremony. I know he's six and a very big boy now, but I do distinctly remember him being unable to hold his head up. When I took him to school in August for his first day, I thought I wouldn't stop crying on the way to work. I wasn't sad, just emotional. Today, it's the same.

Lorenzo says I'll be a real wreck in another 12 years. True, but I'll still have the fast and un-focused memories of diplomas rushing by.

Gucci bikini wearing Oprah roadies

Yesterday I was on a flight from New York to Dallas with a group of Oprah roadies. Apparently, Oprah will be in Dallas at a convention this weekend. Her pre-work group was on my flight and surrounding my seat.

Please bear in mind, these people were clear to say they worked for the magazine and not the show. There were 7 people in all. I was amazed at the amount of fashion magazines and technical gadgets they all carried. These people were all 25 or younger. They were all in jeans, so I originally assumed it was some kind of "friends from college" trip.

They are staying at The Crescent. They were looking for good bar/restaurants and shopping areas. Interestingly, they wanted cowboy hats. When I told them finding a true cowboy hat in Dallas would not be easy, but they should instead go to Fort Worth, they were very disappointed.

The most interesting tid-bit I learned was that apparently the men in the group (a very fashionable pair, indeed), were looking forward to wearing their new Gucci bikini's. Yes you did read that right. Imagine, my inability to hold in a laugh.

I must say, I was thanking god for my MP3 player, for it allowed me to tune them out. I didn't know how old and un-cool I had become until I sat amongst these "cool" people. Unfortunately, the battery died in my player about an hour into the flight. I left the headphones on, however, and pretended to sleep.

Dallas, I hope you're ready for this group of cowboy hat searching, Gucci bikini wearing Oprah roadies. It should be an interesting weekend.

Ouch....

I did a lot of running/walking this weekend. Worked out Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday along with being the ref for my son's soccer games on Saturday and Sunday. My shins and ankles hurt. When I was in marching band in college I used to get the same pain in my shins because sometimes we would practice on turf. For some reason the combination of the tennis shoes I wore and the turf would just kill my shins. Didn't happen all the time but when it did I hated it, much like Monday.

Sunday was go, go, go, one thing after another. As we (meaning my family and I ) enter the summer months I am finding we are getting a lot of use out of our new grill. This past Sunday we had over Lynn's book club for dinner and discussion. While I am not officially a member I know all the folks that come over so I don't really have to read the books :) This club has slowly evolved to a movie club since most of the members have not really been reading the books. I think they should rename it a media club since they have already covered two forms of media, each of which are on the opposite sides of the spectrum, books and movies.

I will be missing trombone practice this week to attend the high school graduation of my Aunt's daughter, thus my cousin. The size of her graduating class?

3

Mine was 492. I remember this because I had to include it on the college applications I filled out and because I had about ten copies of my transcript laying about my senior year in high school. Weird how we remember strange details of experiences that we have. Now this being a very private school and Catholic, the ceremony is actually a Mass and Graduation all in one. Should be interesting.

Less than a week til Alex graduates Kindergarten. He is excited as he should be. And who wouldn't? He is getting this ceremony, a small reception at the end, and he gets to pick the place where we have dinner that evening. Not to mention the pizza party at his school the next day (Would love to see that lesson plan. Activity: eating pizza. Relevance to curriculum: None what so ever). AND he is traveling to CA the day after school gets out to go to Disney. This kid is living a charmed life. The one let down is that they will not be wearing gowns or mortarboards. Bummer.

Lynn is in New York today and tomorrow leading the corporate struggle involved in selling Dr. Pepper. She will be back tomorrow night at which point I will have only one demand of her. To snuggle up to me in bed when she gets home. I hate sleeping without her as I tend to wake up a lot when she is not there. Just does not feel right.

I am thinking of doing some audio blogging while we are in CA. I have not tried it yet and it sounds like a cool feature. Stay tuned.

Later....

Goodbye and thanks for all the fish....

I saw Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy this past week and really enjoyed it. It has been a while since I had read the books and it was nice to see the characters on the screen. There were a few cameos as well. The Marvin the Robot from the BBC series was in the movie as was the actor who played Arthur Dent in the same series. Douglas Adam's widow and daughter are also in the movie but in a very brief scene.

Alex is graduating kindergarten on May 23rd. It is pretty exciting. I am curious to see if they are still handing out the Bachelor of Rhymes diploma I got when I graduated.

The infamous Notre Dame ticket application has been sent back to the ND ticket office requesting a total of 6 tickets. Hopefully we get all six.

I got to see some very short snippits of Star Wars Episode III recently and I was very impressed. It was a short scene with Obi-Wan and Anakin fighting. It was so fast and intense. Unfortunately I will not be able to actually see the movie until a couple of weeks after its release. In the past I have worked the weekend before the release with allowed me to be off for the actual release date. No go this year. But I imagine I will see it for download on the internet this week or next.

I was told by someone that Oregon Rieslings are awesome. Well I had one on Mother's Day and wow! It was really good. Gonna have to plan a trip out there at some point. Till then I will just go back to Best Cellars, the wine store where we got it.

I had a physical recently and I am one healthy specimen. Normal blood work and outstanding blood pressure. I even got a tetanus booster. Not painful going in at all but by the 3rd day the injection site hurt like hell. Thankfully you only need a booster every ten years.