but I think the cross vine over our metal arch thing by the pool deck is blooming. See?

So said Peaches on the topic of "Just So You Know"
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Prior to living in Utah for five years with the military, the only time I had ever been exposed to a front-door solicitation by a person representing any type of church was just after we'd moved to south Texas when I was still in High School.

It was 8:30 in the morning.

They were very persistent.

They rang the doorbell three times.

They knocked loudly on the door.

I thought it was a neighbor in trouble.

Even though I had worked until late at night at Hardee's, I went to the door.

And there...

stood...

Two church ladies.

On a Saturday morning.

I....was mad.

Not only because it was early and they had made sure to wake up whomever was in the house, but also because even at that young age I thought it was just plain wrong to show up at someone's door and try and make them question their belief system.

Wrong....wrong....wrong.

Now, I know they'd been told by their church that this was their mission and all they were trying to do was "save" people. I don't think they were trying to be mean or that anything nefarious was going on.

But....I think if someone was of the mindset to question their beliefs then they would voluntarily look for answers. Missionaries don't have to chase them down, for crying out loud!!

So anyway...prior to moving to Utah in my late 20's that was the one and only time someone tried to "save" me from the Catholic church.

Then we moved into a hard-core Mormon neighborhood filled with churches on every other corner. They must have gotten our address from the city and compared it with church lists and found that we had not converted to "The One True Religion". Needless to say every missionary in the area made visits to the house. I told each and every one of them to please take me off the master list and to not come back and that I was Catholic. But they were relentless. I took to not answering the door unless I was expecting a guest. Seriously, it was at least twice a month, and at very inconvenient times these people would come to the door.

On the upside....every house around us kept two years worth of food storage in preparation for the end of the world, so I knew we would be covered there since they were, after all, very kind, giving people. I just didn't happen to agree with their religion.

So here a few days ago a couple young missionaries (boys this time) came to the door. I told them that I was Catholic (as I do) and that I had lived in Utah so I knew what they were up to. Of course, then they asked me where, etc. and we had a short chat. Then they asked me what religion everyone else in the neighborhood was and I told them they were mostly Catholic, Methodist, and non-denominational and that as far as I knew they were all very devout so I didn't think they had any chance of converting anyone. Then of course they asked me if I'd read their "book". I told them no and that I really didn't have any interest in reading it. They thanked me politely and left.

Then a day after that I was on the phone with my mom up in Wisconsin...and guess what? Two missionaries came to her door!! They are everywhere!

But you know what happened before that? When we were in Dublin, Ireland in October there was a Mormon missionary who had strategically placed himself in front of a bridge sign I wanted to take a picture of. Of course, he went right into the banter, asking us where we were from, etc. Again I told him I was Catholic, I had lived in Utah, I knew what his gig was, and that all I really wanted to do was take a picture of the bridge sign. He kind of chuckled and graciously stepped aside. Smart move.

If you have been a missionary or are currently a missionary I do apologize if I have offended you. I know either you have been told you were/are doing the right thing or actually truly believe that. I don't fault you for that. But I do fault the whole premise that just because someone has different beliefs than you they need to be somehow "saved" from themselves.

I believe that if you live your life in a moral way, raise your kids to contribute positively to society, and treat others the way you would like to be treated, then it does not matter what or whom you believe in as long as you believe in something.

To sit in judgment of others and try and lead them to believe they will not be let into whatever your idea of heaven is is just plain wrong. At least...that's what I think.

In closing, I will say that missionaries and church charity workers do a lot of good in the community and they have helped many people do better for themselves in life. However...that help should not come at the price of their personal beliefs.

Why am I so tired?

Why is it so windy?

Why did I go back to sleep for two and a half hours after taking The Boy to school today?

Why was it so hard to convince myself to go to the gym after getting all that sleep?

Why don't they sell normal bike shorts that aren't so short they show your butt cheeks at the store anymore?

Why do they make workout pants called "capris" that look like full length pants on me?

Why am I so short?

Why do I think The Boy's too cute for words with those orange Cheetoh crumbs all over his lips?

Why do I melt when I see The Boy's blue eyes with their long dark curly eyelashes?

Why is our airline of choice going to make Tommy go to work when his dad's in the hospital?

Why can't it be just a few degrees warmer so we can move into spring already?

Why can't we decide what we want for dinner?

Why does Waterford crystal cost so much?

Why do we keep buying Waterford crystal even though it costs so much?

Why can't someone else wash my car?

Why can't someone else mow my lawn?

Why do I get grumpy when I don't work out?

Why does it take so long to do the laundry?

Why do people now insist on calling people that are here illegally "undocumented citizens"?

Why is it now considered politically correct to support law-breakers who entered our country illegally?

Why is immigration reform more important than reforming social security?

Why am I so frustrated with politicians on all sides?

Why am I listening to the news while typing this?

Why don't I instead try and go find The Boy something to eat?

Why does The Boy keep snacking while claiming he is not hungry?

Why does he not know we must not deviate from the schedule?

Why do I have a schedule?

Why does everyone else that lives in this house detest having a schedule?

Why can't I stop asking why?

Why?

it is true. But I really do think there was something going on in the homes of these two 2nd graders who stabbed a classmate with a dirty needle they found on the street and told her she was going to die that made them think this was acceptable behavior.

And...sorry....for those of you who like to call deeds like this "bad choices". Nope...this was a violent action taken with malicious intent toward that poor girl. Kids like those two boys need to be removed from the school immediately so they do not harm one more kid. Sound too harsh? What if that had been your little girl. How would you feel then? Still just a bad choice by kids that didn't know any better? No? Didn't think so.

And let's remember that we're only hearing about this one thing the boys did. It's my belief there have been plenty of other aggressive acts taken by these kids toward classmates...this was just one time that they were actually caught in the act.

Bad parents breed bad kids which result in bad actions taken by the kids toward others.

Oh...sorry. Were you expecting entertaining drunk ramblings? No, it's just drunk ramblings about the conversations I've had with Comcast today. Gotta be fair and balanced on the whole customer service thing, don't I?

Anyway...We dissolved our relationship with Comcast at the end of February when we switched to the OH so much better Verizon FIOS for TV, Internet, Phone...everything.

Anyway...we got our final bill and paid it on March 3rd...paying for the entire month of March, mind you even though we were no longer using their services - for anything. Did I mention that Verizon picture quality and DVR is OH so much better for the TV and we now get 36 MBPS on the Internet and we have fiber optic clarity on the phone? Didn't? Sorry...well, all true. I'm too buzzed to look above to see if I've said it.

Anyway...today...(of course while Tommy is away)....we got a bill....for APRIL service on Comcast Internet and cable with HD. What? Yeah...that's what I said.

So...while I was waiting for The Boy at school I called the number on the bill...and got...what sounded like....a very old, very new person possibly on lots of meds. Although he wasn't Indian (thank God I could kinda understand him)...his speech was slurred and I had to repeat myself many times. I even had to ask him to read back to me the notes he wrote in the account to indicate that I had called, had already received a final bill, and then had been rebilled for services we had not used for many weeks.

So..needless to say...I did not have total confidence that the issue had been resolved. So I sent an email to Comcast telling them what had happened and asking for written verification we would not have to pay for service we are not getting or using.

I got an email response saying I had to do an online chat with a rep...so off I went for the online chat.

And...I think...I cannot prove...that I got an Indian guy.

When he asked me to tell me the name, I gave the name - and the account number....and he said:

"I will have to terminate this conversation. Chat back when you are professional."

What?! As an aside, let me just say that I cleaned all day and was not in the best of moods. Anyway, when I asked him what that previous entry meant, he replied:

"I apologize for that....That was a mistaken."

So right away I knew the guy was not a native.

Long story short (I know...already long)..after going back and forth with the guy I had to escalate (Tommy HATES when I escalate). Here are some phrases you might want to keep in your back pocket for future reference:

1. "Where does it say in the contract that we have to give six weeks notice for termination? We've already paid an entire month for March for services which we did not use since we terminated the relationship in February."

2. "If you can't help me, can you get a supervisor who can?"

3. "I just want to be clear on what you're saying so I can cut and paste this entire chat into the attachment I send in with my complaint to the Better Business Bureau and the appropriate State of Texas Agency."

Yes, make them repeat what they tell you and make sure they know you intend to register a complaint. Guess what? I don't have to pay the bill they sent and they apologized for the fact that it's their problem, not mine...that they could not schedule a service rep to disconnect the cable we are not using and have not used since February.

Did I make threats? Yes. Was it kinda belligerent? Yes. Did I feel I had to to get the point across? Yes. But in the end, the supervisor took care of the problem.

But I am left wondering....how many other people do they continue to bill after service has been cut off that don't know any better and continue to pay for service they are not getting?

Watch your bills, people. Watch your bills closely. And take action when you need to.

I better go drink water now. I'm kinda dizzy....

One of the many things I hate are people not speaking English when their conversation can be heard by those around them.

Like when I was on that 14 hour flight to S. Korea to go see Tommy and the two teen aged girls across the aisle from me chattered away...loudly...in Hongul THE WHOLE FRIGGIN' FLIGHT. I got not one wink of sleep. Needless to say, I was in a less than cheery mood when we landed in Seoul. Yes, the loudness of their chatter kept me awake..but more than that...it was the annoying sound of the language which I cannot understand. And the fact that it was constant. And that they kept their lights on when everyone was trying to sleep.

Or like my new next door neighbors. Now.....they are from India and I have met them and they seem quite nice although we would never hang out together because we have absolutely nothing in common. These nice Indian people moved in after the last nice Indian people sold the house to them when the husband got a good job in Seattle.

But I digress. The new nice Indian people are nice....however.....they talk rather loudly in the backyard in Hindi or whatever language it is they speak. And of course they have female members of the family which visit quite often (how nice for them). And when they all get together do you know what they do? THEY GO INTO THE BACKYARD AND HAVE LOUD CONVERSATIONS IN WHATEVER THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE IS. And they usually do this while someone is running the vacuum with the windows open so everyone can have the pleasure of listening to the vacuum coupled with the loud, multi-participant chatty conversation in their native tongue.

Now...they are certainly free to speak whatever language they want to. It's a free country. But...it IS all about me and I can't tell you how annoying it is to have to listen to a loud conversation which I cannot understand...over a vacuum cleaner...WHILE I'M TRYING TO TAKE A NAP!!!!! I mean.....if they're gonna talk and keep me up all afternoon, they could at least speak English so I can eavesdrop. Right? Right!

As an aside...if they were speaking Spanish I could at least catch more than half of what they say and that would be better. Yes, that would be much better. So I would be happy if they would speak either English or Spanish...just so we're clear. Oh, and I would be even happier if they didn't run the vacuum every day. I mean really....WHO vacuums every day? Even I don't do that.

I've written here before about different things service people do that annoy me. In case you forgot, here's a partial list to remind you:

1. When they talk on the phone with a friend while ringing me up, not even looking me in the eye once.
2. When they run away from me down the aisle when they can tell I'm approaching them with a question.
3. When they congregate in a group, backs to customers, and chat amongst themselves.
4. When they are on the phone and continue their conversation...in their own good time....until they're finished - while you're waiting to pay for gas AFTER you've pumped it. In this case, they truly hold you hostage unless you just want to leave without paying and risk arrest.
5. Waitresses that take forever to bring the check....yes I have been tempted on more than one occasion to walk out on a check...but I haven't...because I waited tables once and I know any number of things can cause such a delay.
6. Any service person who stalks me relentlessly until I am forced to leave the store just to have some peace.

Anyway, I was thinking about the question of service people over the past few days and how I always like to complain about them but rarely acknowledge there are some very good service people out there.

Take the pool service manager, for instance. She went WAY out of her way to make up for the lag in resolving our pool filter issues. She did such a good job that I emailed her a thank you note so she could pass it along to her boss if she wanted to. One good turn deserves another.

Or the dry cleaner I now go to where they happily let me sit in my car while they process my clothes for cleaning or bring me my fresh clean clothes, placing them oh so carefully on the hanger over my back door.

Or the garage repair guy who got to my house in less than 40 minutes yesterday, swept the garage under the door, replaced our broken spring with a brand new high-quality one and changed out all the wheels in the garage door track. He even put in a new light bulb for me. He was very nice and courteous, and he didn't even charge me an emergency service fee. I shall send a thank you note to Overhead Door in the next couple days.

Or the air conditioner place that helps me out when our unit is on the fritz...they show up the day I call and are honest and friendly as they help us try and get one more year out of our system before we have to replace it.

So what I'm saying is there ARE a lot of really good service people out there. And I try and thank them in ways that will help them along at their jobs. So the question is...when is the last time YOU thanked a service person for a job well done? I know, we shouldn't have to thank them for competently doing their jobs. But it is so rare that people in the service industry actually ARE competent at their jobs these days I feel we must encourage them however we can when we are satisfied with the results. Don't you?

Just a quick note to let you know how much I hate unexpected expenses...especially when they all seem to want to happen in the same month of a vacation overseas.

So...let's review:

1. Cracked tooth on the spouse in London ($500 out of pocket for a crown) - check
2. New pool filter grid ($350) - check
3. Rusted out garage door spring and worn out rollers plus trip charge ($333) - check

All this within the last eight days, mind you. Man, I HATE unexpected expenses....just when you think you're all caught up. Can't wait to see what happens next.....there ARE a few days left in the month, after all.

I'm sure you've heard a lot about this story. We all know that France is a socialist state and as such they do try and make sure that the needs of everyone are taken care of - including health care, child care, living expenses...and yes....employment for life. From what I've read and seen on this subject, the current French law allows for an average 35 hour work week, a very generous minimum wage, and many other benefits...including almost insurmountable roadblocks that make it impossible to fire anyone once you've hired them.

Jobs for life....man, that would be sweet wouldn't it? To know that once you have a job, no matter how incompetent you are, your employer can never fire you? Sweet.

Great idea, right? But what has this system brought with it? Unemployment among young people averages nearly double what it is in the U.S. (up to 40% in some areas). Almost too late, the government has seen what free handouts and guaranteed employment for life have brought to society. Business owners are weary of hiring younger workers because they do not have the ability to fire them if they do not work out. They will be stuck with them for life. So rather, they hire older, more experienced workers - leaving the younger workers unemployed and on the dole with nothing better to do than cause trouble. You can read a really good article on this subject here.

The new measures proposed by the French government make sense to me...but then again I don't live in France. Here, we are used to a probationary period after gaining employment; we know that in a sense we have to prove our worth to keep the job. It's expected that you will need to show you can do the work to stay on with the company.

However...if you are French and have been given everything your whole life without ever having to prove yourself and there is no competition....then you react in the ways we've seen recently. Any proposed changes to this free handout system will bring large-scale unrest among those who feel their free ride is being threatened.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. In the mean time, I am glad I live in a society where competition keeps the playing field open to as much success as a person strives to achieve rather than a culture where it is acceptable to skate through life without ever having to contribute anything useful to the job or to society as a whole.

That is all.

Possibly taken out of context....

Him: "I don't know what it is, but I've been really tired since we got back from London. Must be because I had that cracked tooth and then had to go back out on a trip."

Me: "Yeah, I've been getting really tired around 3:30 every day."

Him: "What, so now you take a nap at 3:30 instead of 4:00 every day?"

Me: "So, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Him: "........."

He learned that lesson well in the military.....Never miss an opportunity to keep your mouth shut. This lesson keeps perfect harmony in our house....usually.

I made him an apple pie today. See?

I made the pie partly because it's his birthday on Wednesday but he will be out of town with his parents and siblings. So I guess you could call it a "pre-birthday pie".

Also....when he came back from Dublin yesterday he brought me these:

Lovely Waterford crystal cocktail glasses, aren't they? Worth a pie at least, don't you think?

So said Peaches on the topic of "Just So You Know"
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Me: "Why don't you ever wear the black pants anymore?"

The Boy: "Oh I dunno. Because they don't have a zipper?"

Me: "Huh? They don't have a zipper?"

The Boy: "Yeah...see?"

I checked. Sure enough...they don't have a zipper.

Me (to myself): "Who does that? Who makes pants for middle schoolers that don't have zippers? Don't they realize the whole not wanting to pull your whole pants front down at the urinal issue? Jeez....."

Me: "Well that's it. We're going through your closet and organizing it tomorrow."

The Boy: "Mom, why do we have to do that? My closet works for me. How would you feel if I went into your closet and totally went roughshod through it and messed everything up to look like mine?"

Me: "........"

The Boy: "Well?"

Me: "OK. How about if you just go through everything, take out what you don't wear anymore and throw everything back in piles?"

The Boy: "OK. Works for me."

Compromise, my friends. Compromise. Works with kids too.

that Russia was in bed with Saddam. We've already uncovered bribes to Russia, France and others......now there's proof Russia was actually providing intel on U.S. troop movements and plans during the opening days of the war in March 2003.

...the Russians collected information from sources "inside the American Central Command" and that battlefield intelligence was provided to Saddam through the Russian ambassador in Baghdad.

Lovely. I'm sure we'll uncover similar news on France, China and others who fought so hard against taking action against Saddam based on the resolution they had ALL already agreed to.

And to think there were those who thought and still think we should have continued efforts on the diplomatic front with those dirt bags. Seriously.....

See my lovely clean pool in all its cleanliness? No longer is it cloudy and tinged with browns and greens....it is clean. And clear. Clean is good. Clear is also good. We can now see the bottom of the pool which we couldn't upon our return from London after the three week lag in service.

Turns out we did have to pay for a brand new filter grid, but it was due to be changed anyway. Still no charge for labor to replace the grid or to clean the pool. And the guys stayed until it was fixed. I am quite happy with my pool builder, I must say. Quite happy. And ready to get into that hot tub!

So said Peaches on the topic of "Just So You Know"
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For me, this position seems rather uncomfortable. But whatever it was he was studying on the floor below made it necessary for Chocolate Chip to strike this pose. He was so preoccupied he didn't even look up when I approached with the camera.

Don't forget to go visit The Friday Ark.

So said Peaches on the topic of "Chocolate Chip"
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They just might set a cruise ship on fire and kill someone due to careless handling of cigarettes.

I always worry about what fires might be started by people carelessly tossing still lit cigarettes on the street or out their car windows and this is why.

Completely ridiculous. Now the only question is....was the guy that died the one that did it, or is he gone due to someone else's careless behavior? I guess we'll have to stay tuned and see.

Get this.....our pool filter started to leak before we left on the London trip. So on the 2nd a guy from the place that built our pool came out and said to turn the pool off, we needed a new filter, and to not turn it on until he came back with the part to fix it. After not hearing anything, we had to call the service center a couple days later to find out the part would take 5-10 days to get here, but that it would be installed as soon as it got in and not to worry about the pool being off for that length of time because it hadn't started to get warm yet.

By the 10th we hadn't heard from anyone so I left a message at the service center. We got a voice mail on the 13th saying that the part was ordered and it would be there any day.

Well when we came back...last Saturday...the 18TH....they STILL had not fixed the thing. So I called this past Monday (the 20th) and asked what was up. They called back and said the guy "was no longer with them," apologized, and promised to get someone out here Tuesday (that's a couple days ago for those of you keeping track).

The manufacturer rep came out on Tuesday. Not only had he NOT received an order until the 20th (18 days past the initial service call...clearly he had never been contacted about the repair) - he didn't have the tools he needed. So he'll be back out here by noon today.

I called the pool place today to see if they could help us out with labor and maybe a discount on the chemicals we'll need to rebalance the pool. Explained everything to them - in detail - about our three week repair time line and the fact that our pool is dirty and way out of balance because of it.

And...guess what? They called back in less than an hour and said that not only would there be no charge for the labor, but they were sending a tech out to vacuum the pool and re-balance the thing...ALL at no charge!!!! It was going to be about $150 in labor alone because the part was covered under warranty but not the labor.

Long story short...pool filter was broken...needed to be fixed...they didn't fix it...but now they are....and I got that plus an extensive pool cleaning for free! Yeah!

Let me start off by saying that I am no expert on immigration policy or how work visas are obtained and monitored. I am just one of many people in our area of Texas that has experienced what it is to be in the same area as day laborers who are looking for a job.

Today I dropped Buffi off at a car rental place that is in one of the main areas of town where men congregate to look for day jobs. Let me paint a picture for you....you pull in to the parking lot, and then all of a sudden a gang of five to 15 or more shabbily dressed men chase you down, surround your car, and make it damn near impossible for you to open your door. They did this to a van that pulled up just as we were getting out of our car (we must not have looked like we were hiring).

This can be a very intimidating experience, especially if you are a woman alone. It's so bad that I won't drop my car off for service at the dealership behind the car rental place unless Tommy is with me. These workers chase cars down, scaring the shit out of any potential employer. When they are not doing that, they are laying around (literally laying) on any grassy area they can find so they can sleep until the next "potential employer" pulls into the driveway.

Let me say this....those workers would NOT be congregating and aggressively chasing down vehicles if it weren't for the fact that at least SOME of those vehicles are there for the sole purpose of hiring cheap labor to do yard work, painting, moving stuff, whatever...for a day. And let's face it...the workers are not hurting anyone. Just scaring the hell out of them. They have set their own rules that the first ones to the car get dibs on whatever the potential job is. They are not out selling drugs, beating anybody up, or robbing people. All they want is to do an honest day's work and receive an honest day's pay. No matter if the pay is well below any American would accept for that kind of work. They accept the low pay so they can remain off the books and send as much money possible home to their families in the country they are from. I don't think anybody would argue that it is almost certain these are illegal aliens and that's why they work for cash at a low wage.

The people that hire them are the ones we should look at. I believe they prey upon these day laborers, getting hard work out of them for far less than they would have to pay a legitimate citizen. And let's face it...few legitimate citizens would even consider doing the type of work these day laborers happily do in order to support their families back home.

There are no easy answers here. But I am left thinking that if we could somehow get these guys on the books so they can be paid a fair wage, provide a centralized location for them to find work that could be more organized and fair....then the work could be done, the employers could be held accountable for how they treat and pay these workers, and we could maybe even get some tax revenue from these people that (let's face it) suck our system dry for medical expenses, bilingual education, etc. in various government programs meant to look out for their well-being.

I'm just sayin'...there's a way to fix this. But I fear that politics has and always will get in the way of solving this problem. In the mean time, I will still take Tommy with me when I get my car fixed and run for my life into and out of the dealership to avoid these aggressive, yet harmless day laborers.

For those of you who are not familiar, we have this thing in the military (in our case "had") called a Hospitality Check. Now, what this means is if a military member and/or his family arrive at your door, you are required to "pass" the Hospitality Check and welcome them with open arms, offer them a place to crash, provide alcohol and a good meal or a fun night out. Now, were were lucky in this case because we had notice. The ultimate test is if you get a Hospitality Check - No Notice. THEN the truly committed will show their stuff and welcome the fellow military happy wanderers into their home, no questions asked. These can be especially interesting if the person is on an assignment, but their family does not and will never know where they are. In these cases you spend a nice evening with your compatriot, say goodbye to them when they leave, and never mention it again. We had one of those in Florida once.

So anyway, Buffi dropped by for a Hospitality Check with Notice yesterday. Yep, Buffi came in to DFW last night and she stayed at our house. Tommy picked her up while I cooked up my bow tie pasta dish. After she arrived, we gave her the grand tour of the house, had dinner at the dining room table (the boy was doing a project with his dad at the kitchen table...you'll probably hear about that on Tommy's site some time), and chatted like old friends. I even made key lime pie (Tommy was happy about that). And of course we had some damn fine Argentine wine.

Our visit ended this morning when I dropped Buffi off at the car place for her rental so she could drive to her next base and look for a house. But she will be back tomorrow! She has to come back...I have some of her stuff in our guest room. We all know I hate to shop. But I might be convinced to take her to the mall for while until we can meet her friend after work and have dinner or something before we say goodbye and she goes off to take care of the wedding shower she is helping to put on for her friend who is getting married in April.

It was so nice to meet Buffi in person. She is good people, and I'm sure we'll see more of her in the next few years as she will only be living a couple hours away.

I mowed the lawn after dropping Buffi off. So now I must shower and try to stop sneezing from the grass pollen. No gym for me today....just mowing....and sneezing. Oh, and showering. Definitely showering.

Okay, I got all caught up on The Apprentice from last week's episode and just finished watching my DVR'd this week's episode. Two things:

1. What the HELL was that whole weird scene with that English guy Sean laying on the bed with two chicks draped across him hither and yon? I mean, seriously.....are they THAT attracted to the British accent?

2. Brent...is weird. And now he's gone.

Finally, is it just me....or has the show never been the same since they voted Omarosa off? I'm just sayin'....

P.S. Clearly I watch a lot of T.V. Do you think I should create a category just for it?

I am the first to admit that I am by no means a fashion maven. Hell, I don't even know where the Brighton store is located and living in Dallas I really should know that...but I don't.

Anyway, while we were waiting for the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, a number of "well-dressed" people started arriving for some sort of social event at the palace. I caught some images of what they were wearing that I really think need to be seen to be believed.

Notice the black feathers on the blond lady's head? Here's another blond lady with feathers...there was an interesting choice made by a male member of her party. I call him "kilt guy".

Wasn't it considerate of the "kilt guy" to ensure we all saw him in his full glory, drawing attention to his sock tassels...and...ahem...other "bits". More feathers on other female heads. "Kilt guy" continued to adjust as he strolled through the courtyard:

Here are some other people "dressed" up for the occasion. More hats...more bird feathers.

Ah yes...London fashion. Feathers, hats and kilts seems to sum it up.

So said Peaches on the topic of "Travels" & "Weird Stuff"
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Keep in mind that day three was dreary, cold, and at times it was sleeting. So we did the best we could with these pics. I'm amazed they are in focus as all our hands were shaking for the better part of the day. But we were in London and we were NOT going to waste the day - cold and rainy or not.

We started out the day back on our bus, headed toward the London Eye (a.k.a. "The Wheel"). It is the world's largest ferris wheel and was built for the Millennium celebrations. You can find no better place for sweeping panoramic views of the city and The Thames. Here's a picture we took of it the day before when it was actually sunny:

We did get some pictures. Sorry they're so gray but you can get an idea of the fabulous view. I was happy in The Wheel...it was WARM.

You can't really take your child to London without getting them over to see the newly rebuilt Globe Theater. This replica was built based on a hodgepodge of information garnered from letters and other notes from the time of its heyday during which Shakespeare's famous plays were performed. It is built totally in the old ways, held together by wooden pegs. Very impressive.

Here is what it looks like from the street. It is the only structure that has been built with a thatched roof. Damn that pesky fire they had during The Plague....luckily they were able to get a waiver for this building.

Here is what the stage looks like:

And the stage ceiling. Notice all the very detailed design.

Here is a first-hand view from what they call the penny seats. The "unwashed masses" could stand here and watch the play for a penny. They fit up to 1,000 of those poor unwashed souls in the SRO area before the stage each evening.

Here is a view from one of the upper balconies. This is a working theater so they had school children in that day doing a workshop and they actually performed a scene or two for us. Notice the seats with chairs to either side of the stage...this is where the VERY well to do members of the nobility and other rich folks sat for the performances. They needed the chairs as they could not sit on the balcony benches in the stiff, cumbersome fashions of the day. It wasn't so much about seeing the show in those days, but rather to be seen at the show.

Here is a view of the balcony seats. Notice the open roof...yes it is as near to an exact replica as they could get. Thank GOD we were under the balcony overhang when it started to sleet.

After The Globe Theater, we crossed back over to the other side of the river, stopping along the way at a pub to warm up (if you can call it warm - it was 55 at best in there) and eat beef and ale pies. Man, those pies were good....or maybe they were good because it was warm?

After lunch, we headed back to our bus stop and caught a ride to The Tower of London. Here's a picture of it Tommy took while it was sunny out the day before:

All the convicts which lived in the tower were for the most part what we call political prisoners. They were brought in through Traitor's Gate, walked up the stairs, and placed in whichever tower room or Yeoman Warder's house they were to live in for the duration of their stay.

Here's a picture of a room from The Bloody Tower, named after "alleged" murders of two young princes which occurred there upon the tower stairs. Anyway, doesn't the gentleman in the painting seem to have rather nice prison accommodations? Prisoners were allowed to bring their families and even their servants to stay with them...as long as they paid for everything.

Here's a good picture of The London Bridge from inside The Tower:

After The Tower and a very long wait for our very late bus, we stopped off at KFC (yeah I know...very lame but we were very cold and The Boy was very hungry) and finally took a taxi back to our room to WARM UP and pack.

Oh - it was actually sunny on our second day so we rode up top on our tour bus and got some pretty good pictures.

Sorry, no pics of us. Privacy thing and all that. Hope you enjoyed looking at these as much as we enjoyed being in the city of London. Well worth all the shivering and long travel days. If you ever get a chance, do go and do go see as many of the attractions as you can.

I have some other silly pics from Buckingham Palace I'll post in the next few days. But that's all for now.

So said Peaches on the topic of "Travels"
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I saw this little quiz on my nephew's site so I thought I'd give it a whirl while I try and get the first load of laundry done before napping. Truly, it's highly accurate on the percentage believe it or not.

You're 80% Irish

Congratulations, you're a shining example of an Irish lass. There's hardly anyone more Irish than you!

As you know, I spent the entirety of this most hallowed day on the road so I didn't get to part take in the traditional Irish toast (or Gaelic Blessing, whichever you prefer). I'm not particularly religious, but I really like the vibe of these words. So here goes, out from me to all of you. Hope you had a good one!

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

But I have been travelin' quite a bit. (h/t to Jimmy Buffet).

We started our travel day at 11:30 p.m. Dallas time on Thursday night, and we just got home at 5:30 a.m. this morning. Yes, when we landed we got in our car, changed clothes, and drove the 11 hours home with only very, very short stops.

But we are home. We almost didn't make it back home...you see a red sports car cut across four lanes of traffic, cutting off each lane in turn, to get where HE needed to go...at 90 mph on the already busy 635 loop at 5:00 this morning. Thank God nobody got hurt because of his unbelievable stupidity. Probably some college kid still out for St. Patrick's Day.

Off to showers and bed for us.

More on London maybe later today, maybe not. We'll see if I'm awake at all.

It's cold. I mean it's really cold. It's like in the 30's and sleeting. And if you're from Dallas and you have spring jackets and are walking around in said sleet all day long, you're damn near frozen to death.

Today we did the London Eye, The Tower, and The Globe Theater. And we ate beef and ale pies for lunch. All really neat, but it was cold. So cold that as soon as we got off the bus we had waited for for 40 minutes all we did was duck into a KFC, eat a quick dinner and head back here to the hotel.

Did I mention it's cold? Oh, and we're about to run out of Internet time. So pics will have to wait for this weekend...sorry.

More Saturday or Sunday. We'll have pics for you by then.

it's 10:30 p.m. London time according to the clock on the T.V. We just got cleaned up after a day of seeing neat things and finishing up at Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. We try to go to a Hard Rock when we travel if there is one in the city.

Anyway...started off the day with full English Breakfast buffet at the hotel and headed off through Hyde Park toward Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard.

First let me say that I kept asking Tommy during the LONG walk to the palace if he was sure he knew where we were going. Needless to say, I shut up after I saw this:

After we got there it was a really long wait since we wanted a place up front to view the goings on. Then a few guys starting marching around here and there and after a while one of them started marching up to the gate and back several times.

The guy actually gave everyone a lopsided grin and said "Morning" when he marched up to the gate and paused a moment so people could take pictures. I didn't know those guys were allowed to talk. Can they talk? Is that allowed?

I was fascinated with the "magic wand guy" as he came to be called by me. All he seemed to do was march around the drum corps and smack the magic wand thing on the ground once in a while and turn this way and that. Occassionally he'd yell something to the drummers - I'm not sure what. But he kinda creeped me out with the magic wand staff thingee.

Then during all the marching and yelling, all of a sudden a bunch of guys with special blue feather things in the tall hats grabbed some stands for music...formed a circle...

And played....American show tunes. I'm not kidding...."America" from West Side Story, "Tonight" from My Fair Lady and a couple others. Then they gathered up their stands, put them back, and marched off. I found out later that was the Irish Guard with their medly of tunes for our listening pleasure. But American show tunes? Very weird.

There was more yelling, posturing, marching around, etc. During all this, I thought we should document why one should arrive an hour early and stand at the gate to wait.

I'm convinced that nobody in the crowd has ever given anyone around them ANY personal space. WAY too much togetherness for me. WAY too much. But I was in front and that's what counts.

On the way back we walked past Speakers Corner in Hyde Park. This was set up to let any British citizen have a spot to say what's on their mind whenever they like. I guess nobody felt like speaking today.

Did I mention that I woke up at 1:30 this morning with a headache? Well I did. And I had it for most of the day except when I drank beers and ate dinner. Tommy says that means I need more beer. I'm not so sure so I'm gonna go for the water and Excedrin instead. Have these people not ever heard of water? None at breakfast, none at lunch, and none at dinner...even when we asked for some. Oh well...

We started the hop on hop off bus tour today and will continue that tomorrow. Maybe Tommy will post some pictures from there, maybe he won't. He had the only charged camera at the time so he was in control of the pics. We'll hop off at The London Eye and The Tower tomorrow at least...probably more places. Probably more pictures tomorrow. Then Friday it's back to the states. Quick trip, but very well worth it.

So said Peaches on the topic of "Travels"
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I got mooned by a duck today - several times - in Kensington Garden. None of the other ducks mooned me, just that one. If you want to see the duck mooning me, go look here.

Whilst walking through the drizzle at Kensignton Gardens across from our hotel after riding business class to London and a short train ride into the city, we did see a few more refined things.

Like the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, for instance...

We couln't get it all in one shot, but basically it's just a circular stream with greens in the middle and outside the walking path with little dips and fountains within the stream. Still, a serene spot that we saw quite a few people at...even in the gray drizzle.

Also, they have this thing called the Albert Memorial. Built in the Victorian times and recently restored. Here's a long shot:

More pictures and information on the Albert Memorial here.. They only have tours on Sunday so we just have our dreary spring pictures.

So much more to see at Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. We will go back tomorrow. They have these tube passes and travel passes for the attractions you can get, but we're not sure we'll do that as we're close to some stuff and a short cab ride away from others. I do know that Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace are on the agenda, as are The London Eye and Shakespear's Globe Theater. But only two more days. Who knows what we'll see?

Tonight we saw The Swan, a nice little pub down the street from where we are where we had fish and chips, bangers and mash, and some beers. Very nice. There's a tour group of teenagers at our hotel also. Not so nice. But that's OK we don't plan on spending too much time here.

More tomorrow. BTW - in case you haven't guessed...London is cool. No matter what the weather.

So said Peaches on the topic of "Travels"
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We made it to our hub city and now we are getting ready to go wait for our flight to London. During our 13 hours on the road, I recalled some things about road trips and noticed others I thought I'd mention. So here goes....

1. When I was growing up, we got up before the sun and drove all day.

2. We rarely stopped for anything other than gas and if we begged really hard a bathroom break.

3. My dad tended to "forget" we had to go when he passed each exit and heard the wails and screams from the back seat saying we REALLY had to go.

4. I think that was really mean.

5. Now that I'm older, I married a guy who WILL stop when anyone has to go.

6. He's nice that way.

7. Instead of having sandwiches from home or crappy doughnuts, we go OUT for breakfast and lunch.,

8. I love going out for breakfast.

9. Now I'M the mom and I get to ride up in the front seat.

10. The boy doesn't like it that I get to ride up in the front seat.

11. I'd like to know...where the HELL was the fire? Many, many people were driving 85 plus through Mississippi and Alabama.

12. I got a speeding ticket in July so I didn't drive that fast when it was my turn.

13. I prefer it when Tommy drives.

14. So does he.

15. But his back doesn't.

16. So I drove some anyway.

17. 13 hours is really too long to drive.

18. But we're here now.

19. And now we can go to London.

20. Did I mention that I'm tired?

21. Well I'm tired.

That is all.

Only problem is......we have to drive ALL DAY tomorrow to get to the hub city airport. We can get on any of the flights leaving for London on Monday just fine...there are seats. However....it appears many other employees need to get to a hub city to reach their vacation destination...and many of them have priority over us for open seats.

So...tomorrow...off we go in the car...to the hotel by the airport. It will be a long, boring drive (12 hours about). But the good news is the London flights leave later in the day so we can sleep late, go to breakfast, and lounge around a bit at the Marriott before we get in our "ready" clothes and head to the airport and wait for them to call our names for seats.

We will be in London for the work week, and we get back on Friday. The hotel has Internet, so if it is working more than likely we will post some things here and there about our trip. We will have three nights and almost three days in London to go explore and see and do.

Man, I wish I'd had vacations like this when I was Scytheboy's age. Lucky kid. He might not have his dad around all the time, but he sure gets to go to some neat places during school breaks.

Enjoy your Sunday tomorrow...while we drive, and drive, and drive, and drive...well you get the picture.

As we all know, people seem to be getting ruder (more rude?) by the minute. So I've decided to compile a list of things I've seen people do that I think are rude. And I was wondering if you agree...so feel free to leave a comment and chime in with a yes or no by the numbers.

1. Talking on your cell phone while getting a pedicure.
To me, this is just rude. I mean, this person is performing a service for you and the least you can do is pay them some attention while they try and help you relax by making idol conversation.

2. Conversely, any service person (convenience store clerk, retail clothes clerk, gas station attendant, nail tech) who talks on their cell phone while waiting on you or providing a service.
I'd like to think this person is at least half-way paying attention to what they're doing when they're, say....clipping my nails or making change. Is that too much to ask?

3. Even worse....people listed in no. 2 who remain on the phone and turn their backs to you instead of acknowledging you're waiting to pay for something, have a question, or are there on time for your appointments.
SO rude. 'Nuff said on this one.

4. People who stand REALLY close to you in line.
It's called PERSONAL FRIGGIN' SPACE, PEOPLE!! This really creeps me out.

5. Any sales person who insists upon stalking me after I've asked them politely to leave me alone to look.
OK, someone told me once that I don't ask all that politely, but still...either leave me alone or I will leave. It's that simple.

6. We've covered this in previous posts, but it bears repeating. People who talk very loudly on their cell phones in public places.
Go outside or to your car. I don't care to listen to your call while I'm grocery shopping or while I'm trying to have a quiet meal at a restaurant or at a school event or when I'm a captive audience waiting in line to pay for something, etc.

7. People who let their kids screech, yell, or throw huge temper tantrums in public.
Control your children, people. If you can't control them, then remove them...and please GOD don't fly with them.

8. People who cuss out service people to get their way.
There are better ways to handle things...this isn't one of them.

9. People who cough or sneeze without at least making a small effort to cover their faces (e.g., lady coughing repeatedly on the bike next to me at the gym...I wonder what part of me dramatically turning my head in disgust and holding my breath she did not get?
SO rude, and inconsiderate of others. Where the hell did simple manners go?

10. People who throw still lit cigarettes out their car windows while driving or at a stop light.
I've had one of these fly into my car once....during college. Smokers can be so rude.

11. People who throw all other kinds of trash out their windows while driving.
Who the hell do they think is gonna clean that stuff up? Oh, right....they're rude people and it's all about them so they just don't care. Sorry...forgot.

12. People that show up late to your house for dinner.
I mean...you're giving them free dinner, free drinks, nice appetizers...who does that? This is one of my pet peeves and one of the rudest things anyone has ever done to me. Almost two hours, people....I'm not kidding. But I'm not rude so we didn't start without them. Should have...but didn't. 'Cuz when you're the host that's just rude and wrong.

13. In general, being late for anything.
You said you'd show up, so show up. Or not. But that in-between late crap is just rude.

14. Telemarketers.
Rude, rude, rude.

Thoughts?

It's much worse when he tells it to you in person.

Before, when I worked, my answer to this question would have been a resounding "no." However, now that I don't work and every penny counts, I find myself jumping through all the necessary hoops to redeem maximum rebate dollars.

Example...we recently bought TurboTax and McAfee Internet Security software. Best Buy was running rebates on the McAfee stuff alone, plus a bundled rebate with the tax software proof of purchase. Both rebates together equal the amount spent on the McAfee software...in essence making the security stuff free if I bothered to send them both in.
Hey, $70 is nothing to sneeze at.

True, rebates are a pain...you must copy this receipt, cut out that UPC, tear off the other inside flap proof of purchase...but how long does it really take? Maybe five minutes of your time plus a postage stamp to send most of these things in. And Best Buy has some in-store rebates now you can go online and fill out while you're doing other stuff and this takes even less time.

Business Week published an article on rebates, rebate redemption rates, and consumer complaints related to rebates. Go read it if you want.

Of course, with any program there will always be some people out there with complaints that want their voices heard. On the retailer side, they run these things hoping and praying there aren't a lot of people out there like me that bother to take the time to actually read the rules and follow them and bother to mail in the stuff to get the cash. They run the things hoping to get on the good side of your money-saving mentality while praying you will not bother to actually redeem the offer.

So there's my take on it. The question is...do you bother to take advantage of these special offers, or are you like many and forget about them and eventually toss them in the trash?

when you're at the 4-way stop and it's not your turn to go but a guy pulls up in the lane next to you and goes when it's not your side's turn but you don't go because it's not your turn and then you patiently wait for the lady in the green van on her cell phone to go because it's her turn but then she doesn't go so you pull out instead and then she suddenly decides to go...to not go...to go....to not go which forces you to go....not go....go....not go.....because you're already in the middle of the intersection trying to turn left....like five times in a row while everyone else just waits for the accident to happen?

Yeah, I hate that.

Ya got me. I don't really have anything...except my normal boring day. So here goes on random thoughts for today:

1. Tommy's on a 6 day trip.

2. That's not really a long time.

3. When you consider that he was gone for a year once.

4. But I'm not whining.

5. A week apart can be good sometimes.

6. I've spent the majority of the past few days in my pj's and sweats.

7. It was grand.

8. It was 82 here today.

9. Yes, I laid out by the pool.

10. The pool filter is broken.

11. But that's okay they're going to fix it within the week.

12. I had a headache earlier.

13. But I don't now.

14. I took Excedrin and drank wine.

15. I highly recommend 13 and 14 for a headache cure.

16. Grilled chicken is better than baked chicken.

17. It helps to motivate the boy when you buy a new guitar book with tabs.

18. He likes tabs.

19. I don't know why.

20. It's freakin' 7:00 p.m. on 24 and they STILL have not eaten, had anything to drink, or gone to the bathroom.

21. This disturbs me...greatly.

22. Did I say it was 82 here today?

23. It will be 80 tomorrow - and partly sunny.

24. I will once again lay by a pool that does not work in the glorious sun.

25. Did you hear that Buffi? 80 and partly sunny.

26. It's open house tomorrow.

27. None of the teachers have admitted to having anything useful to show or say.

28. It's highly doubtful we'll go.

29. Because I'll be tired.

30. From laying in the...SUN!!

31. And Tommy gets home tomorrow night.

32. I must be available to pour beer and refill peanuts.

33. It's the rule.

34. When he gets home.

35. Because I don't have to work.

36. The least I can do is pull a beer from the keg and refill peanuts (or delegate the responsibility which is probably what I'll do).

37. Beer is good.

38. That had to be said.

39. I didn't have to watch one single commercial tonight.

40. I love the dual tuner DVR.

That is all.

What should I make of this picture the boy just sent me over IM? Is there trouble in store for the high school years?

Help.

So said Peaches on the topic of "The Boy"
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Your Hidden Talent

You have the power to persuade and influence others. You're the type of person who can turn a whole room around. The potential for great leadership is there, as long as you don't abuse it. Always remember, you have a lot more power over people than you might think!

Come on, you know you want to discover your hidden talent...so go find out.

As I sit here listening to Scytheboy practice his sax, the T.V. cannot be heard above his greatness (not that I'm biased or anything). So I thought I'd let you know what I thought of "The Weatherman".

Okay, this is an interesting character study if you like that sort of thing. Some bits are funny, but most are pretty serious. But I like Nicolas Cage and he was good as usual. But you know what? I almost liked Michael Cain better (he played Cage's father). Is there a character role that man has ever played that he did not absolutely ace? I think not.

Oh - definitely NOT a movie you would want to watch if there's a danger a kid or two might hear or walk into the room. Lots of f-bombs tossed and one or two scenes they definitely do NOT need to see. Trust me.

But other than that...I'd say it's an OK movie but not a great movie. And probably not a movie Tommy would make it through. He doesn't like dramas. Only comedies or action adventure flicks with scantily clad females. Go figure...

Man, I couldn't believe this story when I saw it on probably not your favorite site today.

Anyway...apparently a mother was taking money from a lawyer so he could have sex with her two teenage daughters (15 and 13 years old). What kind of person does that? How SICK do you have to be in order to think doing this to your kids is OK? This is one of the lowest forms of child abuse in my book. And I HATE hearing about child abuse no matter what the form. But this is truly a new low.

Luckily, the younger daughter was courageous and talked to child welfare about what was going on and the mom and lawyer were arrested and have been charged. I hope they get the maximum allowed under the law. Unfortunately, I don't think the maximum would be nearly enough in this case.

'Nuff said.

Tonight I watched "Walk the Line". I'd seen all the clips, heard all the hype, seen all the morning (and evening) talk show interviews. So I was ready. Ready to watch that movie with Reese Whiterspoon and Joaquin Phoenix singing like Johnny and June Carter Cash. I mean...that's what they played up, right? Them...who don't sing...who learned how to sing just for this movie....singing.

And the DID sing. They sang well. Very well. Some might say even better than the originals (no they didn't). But they were good. I have to give them credit. The music was good. Really good.

Um....what there was of it. For those die-hard Johnny Cash fans there is no better movie and I highly recommend you go see his life's story. It is an intense, realistic look at what we've all heard his life was like. And I'm sure it reveals new information about Johnny's childhood and family dynamic to many.

But for those of us that watched the movie for the music...there wasn't enough of it. What there was of it was good though. I just wish they had maybe cut some of the earlier stuff about him growing up and included more stuff about Johnny and June after they married and continued to sing together.

So to summarize...don't watch the movie if you're there just for the music. Download the soundtrack. But if you are truly interested in Johnny's rather intense life story and how he got June, then yes by all means see the movie. You will enjoy every minute of it.

Later this weekend I will watch "The Weatherman". Maybe another review will follow. Maybe not. We'll have to see....

By now I'm sure you've all heard about this high school teacher in Colorado who compared Bush to Hitler. The teacher is currently on leave pending an investigation by the school, and the teacher had filed a 1st Amendment suit to protect his right of free speech.

While I respect everyone's right to free speech, I do draw the line at proselytizing any view to a class without FAIRLY presenting the other side so then there can be a discussion of the issue at hand. But in this case from what we've been told (and I'm sure we haven't been told everything), it appears this was more of a 20 minute Bush-bashing rant by a liberal minded high school teacher made in a persuasive way so as to ensure maximum agreement with his view.

I think many teachers are very careful about how they approach highly volatile issues in the classroom, such as politics, religion, right to privacy issues, etc. But I also think like in any profession there are those that will use this platform of authority to mold eager young listeners to their view and add boots to their army of activists.

If this guy had made a similar speech about, say,.....Hillary Clinton for example. I might agree with him, but I would still think what he did was wrong. School age kids are highly impressionable and it is ALWAYS WRONG when teachers take advantage of their positions to further their own political agendas.

Not on this scale, but when Scytheboy was in elementary school during the last election, the principal played Kerry's concession speech throughout the school, interrupting classes so all could hear what he had to say. But when it came time for Bush to give his acceptance speech....no televisions were on and not one word of what he had to say was heard in school. In this subtle way and in the Colorado teacher's very outspoken way, some of the mainly liberal contingent of teachers and admini