10/02/04 Antigua Cruise

[Twinave]

Jeanneg... Laughing about the designs in the snow.
"Watch out where the Huskies go, and don't you eat that yellow snow"

 

[Viking]

Originally posted by jeanneg
Cabin fever is really taking over here......the snow ended late Sunday afternoon but was followed by frozen rain, so nobody can get anywhere. Even the kids are getting antsy. This morning I awoke to some very bizarre yellow designs in my back yard. Apparently late last night my 18-yr-old and some of his friends had a "drawing" contest! Just lovely..........
How many more days until we cruise.........?

I think that is just female envy speaking If you were a guy, you would value real art

 

[bettemom]

Originally posted by Viking
I think that is just female envy speaking If you were a guy, you would value real art

Jeanneg... I laughed so hard when I saw the post from you..

If it is a " guy" thing then I need to send my puppy Gulliver to a guy to learn to draw things other than BIG circles...

How about if I send Gulliver my Newfoundland toddler to you so your son can teach him " real art" as Eric says , the only art he knows how to do is big circles, Gulliver is very well behaved, however your son would need to share a bed with him, he loves to cuddle up. He is tiny only 170 lbs....and he is not picky at all about food, he will eat almost everything.. I can collect him after the Diser meet in April in DC... ??

Bye, Kim

 

[cdnmickeylover]

Laughed at the yellow snow. My brother used to do this all the time when he was little.

Really snowing here now. Thinking of leaving work early so that it will be somewhat light when I drive home along with the idiot that will still be doing 100km even though the highways are all snow covered.

It was actually funny this morning because at home we had lots of snow and when I called into work there wasn't much snow on the ground here at all -- you could still see patches of grass through the snow. I work about 30 km east of where we live and there was a huge difference. It's now snowing heavily here at work so I'll see what it's like at home.

Wish I was going to Florida on Thursday.



Kim, our dog is a lot smaller -- about 15 pounds and the snow is now past her belly so she goes out and rolls in it and gets covered. She likes to cuddle too but you don't want to do this after she's been outside since the snow sticks to her. You can't see her circles since they are buried in the snow since her butt isn't above the snow line at the moment. She loves it though. 170lb is a tad large!! but he's probably a sweetheart.

Going out to brave the white stuff.

Fiona

 

[jeanneg]

yes, Eric, you hit the nail right on the head (!)......it must be a "guy" thing. Since you seem to be enjoying the story so much, I'll give you more details: Apparently the contest was to see who could make the best "happy face".......however, the creations more closely resemble valentines.......must be something about the hydraulics not being able to quite complete a full circle!

 

[piglet33]

This has got me laughing so hard. Maybe they had problems making the circles because it was so cold outside.

 

[jeanneg]

Yes, when I criticized their talent, they assured me that had it not been so cold, their artwork would have been better! (I'm just thankful I was sleeping when the creative juices were flowing!)

BTW, schools will be closed AGAIN tomorrow......I wonder if they will open at all this week. It's all fun and games now but every day they miss due to bad weather has to be made up, even if it means losing their spring break.

 

[Viking]

Originally posted by jeanneg
Yes, when I criticized their talent, they assured me that had it not been so cold, their artwork would have been better! (I'm just thankful I was sleeping when the creative juices were flowing!)

BTW, schools will be closed AGAIN tomorrow......I wonder if they will open at all this week. It's all fun and games now but every day they miss due to bad weather has to be made up, even if it means losing their spring break.

Knowing what they do in winter and knowing what American students are famous for doing during spring break, this may save you -and them- some trouble

 

[jeanneg]

What you say is very true, however, despite the fact that we do have a fairly liberal sense of humor (as in the snow art incident), we are actually quite strict with our children and would NEVER allow them to take a typical spring break (aka unchaperoned) vacation during their high school years. Around these parts alot of kids just go to the NC shore and get into all sorts of trouble. Once in college, we allow them to make their own decisions but will not give one penny towards that sort of recreation. My son, the snow artist, will actually be traveling to Europe during spring break on a school sponsored excursion: Berlin-Amsterdam-Brussels-Paris-London. It will be a whirlwind trip, I'm sure, but alot better than hanging out on the beach. An interesting aside: one of the items on his itinerary is the Manneken Pis in Brussels....a true kindred spirit! For years I've had a little bronze statue of the MP in my bathroom and when my children were younger they were both horrified and embarrassed by it. Now he'll finally get to see the real thing. And the funny part is, it's right there on his itinerary, but I don't think he's made the connection so it should be a surprise!
In any event, no more talk about snow art......it occurred to me last night that if the tag fairies ever got wind of this topic they would have a field day and I'd be mortified!

 

[padisneyfan]

jeanneg --- I'm with you about the unchaperoned vacations while still in high school. We never left our 2 sons go. Also, if you are going to go to spring break while in college it is your responsibilty to pay for it. DS#2 has only gone once for senior week after HS graduation to Ocean City, MD. He is so cheap that he only spent $20 the entire week. This is usually my party hardy son, but that would have cost him money. He sponged meals off the girls or bought Wendy's 99 cent items, refused to drive his car around, and mostly just slept. He didn't even stay the entire week. Yet, he has had friends who have gone to Cancun and Panama City for spring break. PLus one friend has gone to College Bowl games the past 2 years over Christmas break. Hopefully DS#2 will stay cheap and then I won't have to worry about the spring break adventures. On the other hand, DS#1 spends his money as fast as he makes it, so I don't think he will ever have enough money to go to Spring Break. Having had 2 sons I can appreciate the snow art. Boys will be boys as they say.

For the first time in 4 days it isn't going to snow and is to go up to 30. Heat wave.


Stay warm and drive safely everyone.

Nancy

 

[jeanneg]

Yep, it's amazing how much power you have when you're the one with the bucks! Whenever our college kids wanted to do something weird, we always told them that we wouldn't forbid it, but we sure as heck wouldn't help finance it! We give our college students just enough money to barely survive....it tends to keep them out of trouble. They are also "cheap".....my son who lives out in LA is the best.......he only gets to come home a few times a year, but when he does, his entire luggage is filled with dirty laundry. Inspectors have been known to go through it and very quickly close it up!
My 18 year-old is a real paradox.....he's super cheap about everything except his clothing. All his money goes to AF or Hollister for these wrinkled items of clothing that are so hot right now. I try to tell him that he can get at least 3 (unwrinkled!) items at Kohl's for every one item he buys at the cool stores, but he doesn't want to hear it. If I ask him to run an errand for me, he wants extra gas money! Oh well, just a few more months and we'll be empty nesters!

This is now day 4 of the shut-in, but I'm going out anyway today.
I have a dental appt. that I don't want to reschedule. They say the main roads are fine if you can manage to get out of the individual subdivisions. I don't have to leave until noon so hopefully there will be a good deal of melting by then. it should hit the thirties today so that will speed things along.

Arlene: I never got the ressie info from you.....I think I'll need it to link the dining.

 

[Hygiene99]

OK KIM and BETTE the Polls r closed....


Kim please Email us ..... was wondering remember those Nice
Door Magnets if there was ONE kicking around in the left overs...
also we have your Card to give back to ya...

Did i mention we r going to Florida on THURSDAY...

i love the snow Art.... it is snowing here now 1 to 3 inches predicted ....

 

[papa]

Temp was down to 19 degrees F this am. That is cool for us here in the south.

You need to drink plenty of fluids before you write in the snow. The cold weather makes it a little bit more difficult.

Kathy just finished her 5 Th night of 12 hour shifts in a row. We have nurses for newborns this afternoon and tomorrow.

Mike

 

[piglet33]

Hi Everyone,

Well, I just got off the phone with Lenny and found out that his work is going to send him away to school for 1 week in March, April & May. March is supposed to be in Wisconsin, April in Atlanta and May in PA. That was just news that I wanted to hear. If he was going someplace warm, then me and Haley would tag along, but I really don't want to go to Wisconsin in March. I told him he should tell them a class in Hawaii is better for us, lol.

I just hope the week in April isn't during our DIS meet in DC. Lenny said even if it is, we can still go, but we'll see. Speaking of that, do we have any more info like where we should stay and stuff or is it too early? I like to plan ahead so I was just wondering.

Oh well, thanks for letting me vent about the classes.

 

[Viking]

Originally posted by jeanneg
What you say is very true, however, despite the fact that we do have a fairly liberal sense of humor (as in the snow art incident), we are actually quite strict with our children and would NEVER allow them to take a typical spring break (aka unchaperoned) vacation during their high school years. Around these parts alot of kids just go to the NC shore and get into all sorts of trouble. Once in college, we allow them to make their own decisions but will not give one penny towards that sort of recreation. My son, the snow artist, will actually be traveling to Europe during spring break on a school sponsored excursion: Berlin-Amsterdam-Brussels-Paris-London. It will be a whirlwind trip, I'm sure, but alot better than hanging out on the beach. An interesting aside: one of the items on his itinerary is the Manneken Pis in Brussels....a true kindred spirit! For years I've had a little bronze statue of the MP in my bathroom and when my children were younger they were both horrified and embarrassed by it. Now he'll finally get to see the real thing. And the funny part is, it's right there on his itinerary, but I don't think he's made the connection so it should be a surprise!
In any event, no more talk about snow art......it occurred to me last night that if the tag fairies ever got wind of this topic they would have a field day and I'd be mortified!

If your DS needs any tips for Berlin, Paris or London he may contact me anytime. We spent a week in Berlin last April and 10 days in Paris in 2002 and really loved it. From 03/27-04/03/04 we will be in London. the € (Euro) will facilitate his trip as he can use the same currency in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France. Only our friends from the Island don't particiapate yet, but all major businesses in London (Like Harrods) accept Euros as well. He shall bring lots of money: Especially Paris and London are VERY expensive. And the €/$ exchange rate isn't what I would call favourable for Americans right now BTW, if you want to type the €-symbol just hold "ALT" and hit 0128 on the numeric pad. Our keyboard have a key for it, but American keyboard lack it. As I have to use an American keyboard at the office I know all the tricks. My company insists on having the same equipment in Denver and in Frankfurt, but this mainly states a problem concerning the letters "Y" and "Z" as they are switched, the rest you get used to quickly.

 

[Viking]

BTW,
I may be able to start a literary career tomorrow, too: We have a snow-front coming in from the West - Gotta drink a lot tonight.
The Frisian Islands (Westernmost part of Germany) received 2'' in the last 30 minutes, around 10pm it should reach Cologne, and around midnight it's showtime -oops, snowtime- for Frankfurt. I'll get up an hour early tomorrow to dig out the car as I suspect that my preheating system won't be able to thaw away 5 - 10'' of snow. An to beat the rush-hour and the resulting chaos. We have a saying in Frankfurt: 2 inches of snow lying horizontally slow down traffic, 2 inches stacked vertically bring it to a complete stop!!"

OK, now I have to watch "Pirates of the Caribbean", I just obtained the DVD, which was published yesterday over here.

 

[jeanneg]

Thanks so much for your kind offer....since they are covering so much territory in such a short period of time, their schedule has been very well planned and allows little, if any, free time. Jason has already traveled extensively in Paris and London so that portion will be a repeat for him. They will be visiting some of the seedier parts of Amsterdam (chaperoned, of course) since his teacher feels it's important for them to get this sort of exposure.
They have been warned about purchasing certain "souvenirs"!

 

[cdnmickeylover]

How exciting to go to Europe for March Break. I remember the Manneqin Pis -- one time we saw him he was wearing a rain coat because it was raining.

Snow has stopped here for right now but it's snowed off and on all day. No bike riding for us for a while that's for sure.

Renee -- Can sympathize with the lack of great locations. The most I get to travel for work is to downtown Toronto for a seminar -- yeah I get to take the subway! Our firm outing is to golf for an afternoon -- yuck! My brother's firm took all the lawyers to Arizona last year but spouses couldn't come. He didn't get to see much outside the resort though as they were doing seminars and stuff.

We aren't sure about DC in April. Will have to wait and see how work goes. It doesn't look busy at the moment but there are a couple of large transactions which are coming and no firm closing date has been set yet although they are looking at the March/April time frame.

So when are you going to Florida Peter???

Fiona

 

[Viking]

Originally posted by jeanneg
Thanks so much for your kind offer....since they are covering so much territory in such a short period of time, their schedule has been very well planned and allows little, if any, free time. Jason has already traveled extensively in Paris and London so that portion will be a repeat for him. They will be visiting some of the seedier parts of Amsterdam (chaperoned, of course) since his teacher feels it's important for them to get this sort of exposure.
They have been warned about purchasing certain "souvenirs"!

This is very advisable: A friend of ours spent a weekend in Amsterdam just recently. She was offerered some cookies and naive as she is (She's from Russia) she munched some - And was stoned for 24 hours. Ok, it's legal over there, but that doesn't mean it's Ok. And trying to bring these 'souvenirs' across any border could get you into big trouble.

But when in Brussels, he should sample some Pommes Frittes aka French Fries, but he shouldn't dare to call them that over there, because they have been invented in Belgium - Not in France!!! And the Belgians produce the best chocolate in Europe, the got pralines Anja could kill for YumYumYum.
Funny fact about Belgium is, that it is the most visible country from space, because all its Autobahnen are fully illuminated at night and so the whole country sparkles from orbit.
In '89 I drove with my car from Frankfurt to London, which also lead us through Belgium. We got into heavy fog - fog so thick, that would I have driven a Mercedes, I wouldn't have seen the star on my hood.
In spite of the lighted Autobahn we somehow ended up in the city-center of Liege and needed some time to get back to the Autobahn. Nevertheless we made it from Frankfurt to London in about 10 hours. But I must admit that we used the Hovercraft, which used to cross the Channel in about 35 minutes - That was long before the EuroTunnel was opened.
We then spent 9 days in London and another 2 weeks touring the Southern Coast of England as far as Plymouth, situated at the Atlantic. We -a schoolbuddy and I- spent a real "guy-vacation", going from one aircraft-/car-/marine-museum to the next and spending every night in the pubs sampling the English brews. I drove about 1500 miles without once getting on the wrong side of the road, but when we got back to Frankfurt I once veered over to left after a turn and suddenly had a lot of oncoming traffic

 

[Twinave]

Renee, School=Good. Wiconsin/Winter=Bad. Stay home with the little one and snuggle.
Spring Break...I live in Panama City Beach.....I hate Spring Break. Too many kids with no direction= vomit, garbage, car crashes, and balconie falls. We get them EVERY year. Never had Spring Break myself, always working. Never even missed it.
My son has Fifth's Disease. So he will be hanging with me at work for the next few days. Poor guy is just one big rash.
Hi to everyone!

Later, Ave'