A critic of all things considered...

The last 8 days we have spent some eating out in nice places and just eating out of our hotel room with crude survivial supplies like fruit, granola and the likes of that.
We found the best mexican restaurant in town the first night and on the first try. Divine. We went back a few night later and it was replicated nearly to the T. But we have had a few bum deals. Mucho Gusto - They are great in Eugene, here the fixings were so cold my burito wasn't even warm enough to melt my cheese, and the beans were either half cooked or so over cooked they needed to be cooked again. It was awful. Then came Elmers. Over priced. Since when did simple dining become outrageous and their selection was so slim to choose from. I bought a tough steak I couldn't hardly eat, but the baked potato was good... Tonight We went to a Bear Paw Place I think it was called. Justin ordered salmon - he is always happy with Salmon. Jack spaghetti. I ordered an oriental salad. I couldn't have been more disapointed. I could have gotten a house salad ( which is was basically all mine was ) save the canned mandarins they threw in with my dried out and burned chicken. Moan and complain you say, well for $10.00 I would have thought they might try a LITTLE harder. Our waitress was rude, didn't bring utensils and brought the wrong thing on Justin's plate. She made the older woman who wasn't even stationed over by us do it. She had a table to clean by us and she waited until we were gone to pick it up. She didn't put our left overs in the out bags ( even the chinese places do that folks!) even though she had just got done telling us she had nothing to do, and she kept running out to take a smoke break in the front. HELLO??

The Office

Ohh... So I am twisted.. Normally here in my hotel room ( well since arriving on Sunday ) I haven't found anything to watch on TV, but today I found The Office. I love the show. The endings are always the best.. I always crack up at them. This one, Micheal tries to be cool and throw a big party in his hotel room during a convention. A few losers show up and he has alcohol and brings a black light. He turns off the light, and all kinds of stains show up on the bed spread, wall, floor, ceiling, everywhere.. They say "What's that?" "well its either blood, semen or urine" and the closing line is "I sure hope thats Urine"...
Why so funny you say, I guess I can relate to how totally uncool he is. I can relate having worked in an office and how it was.. I love it. Too funny..

:::: off to watch one other one:::::

4th Grader Shares Cocaine at School

A fourth-grader in Washington, D.C. was charged with drug possession after bringing cocaine to school and sharing it with other students, authorities said.

Four students at Thomson Elementary School either sniffed or swallowed an unknown amount of the drug and were taken to a hospital after complaining they were ill on Thursday.

Police later determined the substance they ingested was cocaine.

D.C. Fire Department spokesman Pete Piringer said the students were fine aside from having sore throats.

School Principal Albert DuPont sent a letter home to shocked parents saying child protective services and the police are trying to determine how the child got the cocaine.

Authorities did not disclose whether the student is a boy or a girl.

“This is not a situation that is typical at Thomson, and we take it very seriously,” DuPont wrote. “At school we will address drug awareness as a whole-school issue.”

Stuart Hovell, a parent of a fourth-grader at the school, said the incident was disgusting and that he would send his daughter to a different school next year.

“It’s sad. It’s very sad that this is getting into schools,”

he said.


Seriously.. A 4th grader??! A 4th Grader brings cocaine to school and SHARES it with classmates.. How messed up is that?! I saw this on Good morning America while waking up this morning and I could hardly believe what I was hearing. :/

Intrigued

I bought the book 'Bringing Adam Home'to read on my trip down here. Of all my true crime stories this one is the most interesting and my favorite. Favorite you say? I am in awe of the changes that John Walsh has made. I more than commend and respect all the things that he and his wife have done. I am sorry that they had to go through such a horrible loss to make these changes to protect other children, but without him, so many more children would have met the same fate.
I had read a paragraph summary of the Adam Walsh Murder in one of my books in a serial killer book but it made no mention of this great feat. Then one day on one of my thrift shop book adventures I found the book 'Tears of Rage' and gained instant respect.

Before we left on our adventure I found 'Bringing Adam Home' just by chance at Barnes and Noble. I never watch the new book lists. I have no patience, and was thrilled to see a book to read. I started reading last night and it was nearly 2 am before I put it down. I would have stayed up later, but the letters were blurry..
The book has more evidence against Otis Toole who had infact confessed, had detailed information only the killer would know and evidence against him then retracted. This was before DNA technology and then he died in prison before anything more could be done. Very tragic.

Pocket 'Copter

So, that darn TV..  Jack has been seeing  commercials for the Pocket 'Copter on TV, since right after Christmas.  He got two Air Hog Copters, but this commercial was played on almost every kid channel repeatedly for weeks.  "Can I get one? Can I? Can I"  "Jack, we just got 2 for Christmas" " But not one that "insert his perfectly memorized script from watching the commercial too many times!"  "Sure, Jack.  If we see one in the Store we will get one"
Haha.. I laughed to myself..  I pulled a good one on him... . :::GRIN:: Seen on TV..  And the next time we went to Target he went to the right isle and pulled it right off the shelf..  I could have smacked myself..  :::DUH:::

 

We didn't buy it that night but it broke his poor heart :(  I felt so bad, but I did not have the money to buy it.

Fast forward to Wed.  We went in Toys R US and told Jack he could pick out ANY toy he wanted because he was being good and didn't have a lot to do while we are down here.  He of course picked the :::: drum roll please ::::   The Pocket 'Copter.  Batteries aside, it put us back $36.00  He was in love.

We get home and after we find the right tools to open the battery compartments ( my tweezers!) he gets going.  But it is supposed to charge all night.  We let it..  And The darn thing won't keep a charge.  My mind is set and I tell Jack we are returning it.  There is no way we are keeping it if he can't fly it less than a minute without having to recharge.  We bought TOYS R US brand Batteries. Jack felt the same and wanted to take it back yesterday.   But that didn't stop him from landing in my face this morning with it.. Silly Boy..

 I used the other half of them in the Toy Story RC remote car ( we got it at Good WILL for $8 the other night, I priced it at TRS and its $80!!!  I can't believe what a deal we got, its an awesome toy!!)

So, tonight we took the toy back..  Jack wanted to get another one in another color and I had to tell him no.  He has two helicopters at home he can play with.  I just don't see the sense in buying a toy that is going to be faulty from the start. 

 So, instead Jack bought this... He is BIG time into Toys Story right now...All is happy in toy land tonight :D  He ran around the Hotel room ZOOMing with Buzz and hopefully tomorrow we can find a black permanent marker so he can write Jack on his foot just like the boy in the movie wrote ANDY.. 

Random Thought for the Night 3-17--2011

I am not always agreeable, but then again I try and get along with (almost) anyone.  I really do want everyone to like me even though I know that is impossible..  For years I tried with all my might to try and keep everyone happy, even if everyone meant everyone but me, but it didn't work out that way.  Because you can't make everyone happy, even if you exclude your own happiness.  I wish it weren't so.  I would gladly and did give up to make others happy.

Bored to Tears......

You know you are bored when you ask the maid how she makes the pillows stand up so nice on the bed...  Good lord..  I need to drag out my beads and make something..   I've read two books, and I can't turn on the TV without getting spastic about the Japanese disaster...  I've got my 365 picture blog all caught up and Facebook is dead today...  Jack is happily doing educational games on his Leapster spelling and making patterns..  Its so cold outside, the weather forecast said we might get SNOW!!!  I wish I were back in California and Arizona.  I miss the Sun and warmth..  Justin won't get home *if I am lucky* for another four hours...  What am I going to do with myself?????????? :/

Meltdown...

I have been trying to follow the Nuclear problem in Japan without being obsessive..  Jack has helped me with that "MOM, change the channel".  CNN mostly.   I terrifies me.  It is like the inevitable is being delayed.  I have read about Chernobyl, 3 Mile Island...  Chernobyl is a few decades old and there are so many problems...  Reproductive, etc...

I still don't understand why anyone would think using materials like Uranium or Plutonium and putting them in a system that is actually so unstable when you think about it, when it would take HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of years to be safe.  WTF....   Seriously...  Greed?  

I know what is coming and I want to close my eyes and make it go away, but I know it won't........

Sad....

I got a phone call last night from my Mom letting me know that my Nan was in the hospital with Pneumonia...  She is in her mid seventies..  Has Parkinson's and is living alone... She drove HERSELF to the hospital, and her stupid dog ran away when she was trying to get in the car..  I feel bad that I can't be there to help out.  I am here about 4 hours away and I can't leave..   I called and talked to her for about a minute last night, but she was doing her breathing treatment so she couldn't really talk..

And Zoey is sick...  RSV....  They thought she had Pneumonia too but they re diagnosed her.  I am worried about her too..  I remember when Jack had Pneumonia when he was about six months ( her age ) and it is a very scary thing to go through..

Donald Trump?

This morning on the News, Donald Trump came on and announced he would be considering running for president this next campaign.. ::::wonders how that will pan out:::::: 

Laundry Maid

It is amazing, it was cheaper to do my laundry here at the hotel than it is at home.. :/ I am perplexed.  I hate having to play a coin op.  Jack loves it of course.  Just touching money, the control of it, he becomes the Emperor of the laundry...
I finished the six loads of laundry we brought with us... Who brings dirty laundry on a business trip??  We do.  I do not consider myself to be extraordinary.  Just out of the ordinary.  Not dysfunctional, just not conventional functional.
Despite my hatred for the coin operation and public laundry facilities, when I bring my hot and clean laundry back smelling sweet and scented by my fabric sheets, the act of folding and putting it away is very satisfying.  I love cleaning, clean clothes and it makes me feel very functional..
It is a simple process, that when I don't have it, it throws me off my cycle of cleaning and can make for a bad day..  

Southern Oregon Adventures...

Daylight Savings Time is never a good adjustment at my house..  It is usually a frantic and forgotten date that is unfortunate and that lost hour is sadly missed..  This year it fell on a day that we didn't have an hour to spare.
Our trip down south was pushed up a day.  I had nothing ready, relying on Today to gather everything as we had laundry to do ( was going to pack after the laundry was done and we had RXs to pick up.  I felt like everything had fallen apart and nothing was going to get ready..
The laundry did NOT get done and we brought it with us, who does that??? Answer: ME... I never thought I would have to do that, but I had no choice.. GOOD Grief...
We are staying in a nice hotel, the beds are super comfy - Big deal with me, what the point if you can't sleep, right??  Big tub to soak in..  What's not to love about that?? ;)
As we were leaving Eugene, a huge wind storm picked up and as we drove South we drove further into it.  Hard  rain, thunder and lightening and Wind..  We just missed some HUGE trees coming down, there was debris all over the I-5, it was almost like a mini hurricane..  Reminded me of the winter storms in Alaska..  It took much longer to drive down here but we arrived safe and sound...
And how long will be we here??? A month, maybe less, maybe more..  I just hope my husband does very well :D

BEADS!!!!

My newest obsession has kept me entertained..  I have started beading.  Its like a drug habit.  I can't stop thinking about it.  Justin and I are both really into it.  The bead shop downtown is getting used to us coming in.  I am loving it..... : )  We are buying semi-precious gemstones, some pearl and I just bought my first seed beads ( wow are those small ) for an accent on a necklace..