8/17/08 Captain Jack's Repossession Repo Cruise to PC thru TPC Part 12

[Verandah Man]

Andy--

Angelina looks fabulous!

Thanks, Hazel and I think so too, but not our ST........................

 

[DisneyVegas1]

For the Captain

Nice ..Thank you ...I think I may have a new cd and dvd label ...lol

 

[Esteri]

Woooo-Hoooo! Ketchup - done. Now you get to read through a mega-multi post!

Never lived in DC before. The only positive thing I could come up with when we first found our is that it is a 1 day drive to 'home' (Cleveland) & a 1 day drive to WDW. So far we have 4 trips to WDW planned between when we get there and the end of TOAL!

There is NOTHING like 4th of July on the Mall. Don't miss it.

OK, this one is hysterical! You must have got the timing right 'cause it really hit my funny bone.

Funny how little boy brains work, isn't it?

They don't work any better when they become big boys either.

Oh Gawd. I'm doomed.

Reading is one of the most amazing processes. When we started homeschooling it really concerned me that I would be able to teach my kids to reach so I did way too much research on the topic . . .

Esteri, one other thing to consider is that boys sometimes take longer to develop the appropriate neural pathways for reading. It is a develop issue typically. Because of the limited resources, schools push to have children read by certain age and the few that struggle are often left in the cold. I really like the reading resources or specialist . . that is a big help, too. It is also amazing what they can do with early intervention.

Keep smiling .. the excellence in reading is coming . . especially with that kind of vocabulary . .wow. . .

Have a super day!

Thanks so much for the support. My story was of last year. The excellence if reading has come. While he's not in the most advanced reading group in his class, I think he's doing very well.

Understand, this is a class of 4th grade boys who are picking up and reading Eragon. One mom wouldn't let her son read it until he made it though the "original" - the Lord of the Rings - all three books. (He's in the most advanced reading group.) He's polished them off and has asked for his copy of Eragon now.

Jakob spent our two weeks of spring break polishing off three volumes of Unfortuante Events, when I let him back inside with his brother. So, I'm not worried. When he finished those, we might try Eragon - or maybe I'll have him tackle The Hobbit first.

I just feel so fortunate to have a school that identified this early (in Kindergarten) and has access to the resources we need to deal with the problem in a holistic way. He's still behind his peers, but less so than previous years - so he's catching up.

Little brother is going to be the opposite problem. He's already starting to write and identify his letters, and is showing a lot of interest in word search games. He doesn't know his letters by name, but is getting pretty good at finding words with pattern recognition. We're not actively trying to slow him down, but neither are we encouraging him. Of course, he's one of the oldest in his class, where Jakob is one of the youngest. And he hasn't had the health issues Jakob had. In any case by the time he starts first grade (the day after we return from TOAL) he'll probably have figured out all the letters on his own.

Wow! This sounds like my DS7, maybe I should be talking with Dr. about it....

You'll want a holistic Dr. The regular pediatricians won't necessarily see anything wrong. PM me if you need help locating one to do an assessment.

Hmmm...

Ben & Jerry...

Cake...

Bailey's...

add some chocolate, and that's like the grand-slam of food.

OK, I've just polished off my thirs, uh, third Bailey's on the rocks (and finished the bottle ), have a nice buzz going, and it's all your fault!!!

Thanks.

Just an update on DD situation with her hip.

....

Laura - I'm so glad you are one step closer to solving her problem. You guys hang in there!

How was opening night?!?! I know what you mean...the Thespian Club at my campus were ON EDGE the week before any opening of a new production! The only time us ROTC kids were scared of the actors---and we had access to weapons!

holy salamanders, ! mr. V. jumped ahead again!

...

iam sorry, if this not appropriate... it is the way iam feeling toward
all the suffering from this very sad situation. to me, it is very
positive & encouraging, by the ways his group is willing to support and
helped each other....sometimes, we @ work , are worn out from
all the emotional stressors. it recharges my "batteries" reading all
the happiness being share. some of you, i hope to meet..and i
hope yo have the same feelings.

Lil Grumpy... thos post really made me smile. Many thanks. I so look forward to meeting you in person.

She's a triathlete. Her dog is a marathon runner. And I am sitting on my couch eating Cheetos.

Hey, someone's gotta keep Frito Lay going...
Pass the bag will you?

Are Ben & Jerry old? I thought that was Bartles & James.

Well, I can't blame the kids since I didn't carry them. But we do use the kids as frame of time reference. "When did we buy that TV?" "Two kids ago."

I can do the same thing...though we have lived in the same house since 11/95. Columbine was when DS was a baby. I sat on the couch holding him for hours watching the coverage. 9/11 was when DS started 3 year PS at 2 yo and DD went for her 1 year check up. I sat on the couch with her the rest of the morning watching the towers fall and the aftermath.

I do the same thing, but with dogs. Over Easter my mom was telling the story of when I stopped by their house on the way to Oklahoma to deliver and pick up some dogs, told her I was going to stop at the Grand Canyon (since I'd never been and it was on the way, sort of) and would she like to come? She cancelled a breakfast appointment, and hopped in the car for a 6 day cross country jaunt with me. We had a ball! Anyway, she wanted to know what year that was...

"Well, Benton was still alive. And we were actively training Pete at the time for the broke dog stakes, but he wasn't being entered yet. So, he must have about about 2 - 2 1/2. Now, he was out of Jet-A's litter she had when she was 2, and she was out of Kaiya's first litter when Kaiya was 2, and Kaiya is about to turn 13. And we were living in CA at the time, and I don't think Issac was born yet - was he? Maybe we was. And it was Labor Day weekend on the way back. So, September of 2000. So, no, Issac wasn't on the ground yet."

My husband and mother looked at me most strangely... "WHAT!???"

Sure it does ...just doesnt point to a cause that not be what I am desiring ..

Ah... And what is it pointing to?

Ewwwww. I don't think so.

You betcha! To begin with...those military uniforms would be WAY more fashionable.

According to Air Force legend. The reason the undershirt worn under the Blues is a V-neck is becasue some General's wife liked looking at men's hairy chests. So, I think the ladies may have more influence then you might think...

Attention Shoppers!!!
Mark is going to be going to China, Japan and Korea in the future and he wants to know what I might like to have him buy for me while he is there. I haven't a clue as to what that would be. Anyone have any suggestions that are not to pricey?

DH was just moaning this morning about how he's down to his last cup of the Green Tea I brought home for him during my trip to Shanghai. I don't suppose....?? Of course, it might be easier to have one of my coworkers pick it up on their next trip. Easier to get it from them. So, never mind.

I feel for his flight over. I hope he doesn't have to ride in coach. I did. 13 hours, San Francisco to Shanghai. And FIVE Jackie Chan movies - in a row! I actually came to appreciate his movies by the end. I'd never really liked them much before. Do you think I was brainwashed!!?? Yes, that's it - get them exhausted (I can't sleep on a plane), feed them nasty food, and make them uncomfortable. Ah, yes, I see it now....

If he needs a customer suit made - that's the place to do it. I visited a fabric store in Shanghai (that's what everyone wanted - fabric!) and they had the most lovely fabrics, not just silks, but suit wool too. I got my mom enough of a really beautiful silk to make a calf length dress. And that fabric is still sitting in it's box - she's chicken to cut into it! At this rate I'll inherit it from her! (Oh, and take along a local - no one speaks English.)

Have fun Mark!

I kid you not - my kids schools has lockdown procedures for when there is a moose or bear on the playground.

It happens a few times a year.

I got trapped in a building at U of Alaska for about 45 minutes when a moose was eating the shrubs just outside the door.

Ooooo, was the SWAT team called? Or the local Moose Mover patrol.

How do you move a moose along, anyway?

The kids did an AWESOME job with Brigadoon, we were so very proud of everyone, so much so, that the kids received a standing ovation at the end of the performance.

It sounds fabulous!

I don't think my dd knows about it, but at the end of the Friday assembly, the principle lectured the kids on it. When I found that out It made me mad. DD's teacher email us earlier in the week and said she would answer questions and concerns from the kids but wouldn't bring it up unless the kids did. She also said she could email a resource if we would like it. I thought she handled it well.

How about protecting those kids, huh? Sheez.

Hello, Group!

Just joining in this thread.

I am SO looking forward to the repositioning cruise August, 2008. I am so excited that I do not know if I will make it to the day!

Welcome Aboard Mate!


So much for ketchup - now on to the chatty bit.

I had a really super day today. Spent all morning in the garden thining fruit from the trees. They set quite a bit of fruit this year and I was taking off 3 to 5 pieces for every piece I left on. (The rule of thumb is one piece of fruit every 6-8 inches - no more.) Sometimes it was a bit hard, but I'd remind myself - just how much fruit do I need for a family of four!?? As it is I'll have to spend an entire weekend canning the plums. And, I'm tyring to figure out what to do withAsian Pears. Wow, did they put out this year.

Anyway, it's lovely and relaxing. Watching the bugs, picking off the excess fruit, and checking the health of the trees. (Found a little scale in the Plum tree, but nothing too bad.) George found the first Preying Mantis of the season - in the lawn of all places. A little bitty newborn, no longer than a finger nail. So we moved it to the apple tree with the most ants in it. The two Preying Mantis egg sacs we know about haven't hatched yet. But, in the interim, there are Lady Bugs everywhere helping to keep the bad bugs down.

This year, however, I WILL get fruit from the Asian Pear (which was as prolific as the Plum). Last year the squirrels nicked it all. On the other had, maybe I'll leave them most of the tree - if I can figure out what to do with it. I wonder if Asian Pears dry well. I've never done that - could be fun.

 

[GoofyontheHiSeas]

Hello, Group!

Just joining in this thread.

I am SO looking forward to the repositioning cruise August, 2008. I am so excited that I do not know if I will make it to the day!

Welcome Mike

 

[eeyorelvr10]

To Sharon, Andy & Megan

Sorry - its late - but





To Lisa - 4/22 -

and to you!

 

[Friend_of_Piglet]

Hi everyone! We just got back from Hilton Head. In hindsight I wish we didn't bother going. It was nice there, but the driving back & forth was very stressful. Especially on the way down when we hit heavy winds in the Carolinas. I did do quite a bit of the driving & actually most of the driving on the way home. Mike did get a chance to golf, we went on a dolphin cruise, we took a trip to Savannah for the day & ate at Paula Deen's restaurant, & otherwise just hung out at the pool. I never did feel really relaxed though & I think it was worrying about Mike's health & knowing we had to drive back home. Traffic was horrendous through Washington last night & through NY & most of CT today. As much as I hate flying....I've decided I hate driving so much more!

Anyway...when it rains it pours. I hate to keep sharing nothing but bad news with you all, but I just got word that my mother suffered another heart attack. She has already had two major heart surgeries & she has emphazema which requires her to be on oxygen at all times. She is refusing treatment & has decided that she does not want to fight anymore. She has not been a happy person for a few years now & I think this is the final straw. My sisters are there with her, but the doctors say that if she is refusing breathing and other treatments, that she is not going to make it. It looks like I might be flying out to Orlando first thing tomorrow morning. I have not been close with my mother for some time now due to long standing issues, but I would not feel right if I did not have a chance to say goodbye.

Don't know when I'll have time to catch up here, but I hope everyone is well!

I'm very sorry you and your family are going though this difficult time.

 

[Friend_of_Piglet]

I hope everyone has a very Happy Sunday!!!

"The whole world is in our hands."

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Good Morning All

Hope You Have A Great Sunday​

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Sunday 4/22.

TO....

Lisa / radioclash2

Have a good day.​

 

[LITTLEKID58]

GM

Presently 58 going up to 80 here in Sunny Central Florida

Happy Birthday Lisa



and prayers to everyone who is going to need it today

aboard to all the newbies that have joined us

Have a great Sunday.

 

[Verandah Man]

Good Morning Folks!!! ​

 

[Verandah Man]

"Happy Birthday"
to
Lisa/radioclash2​

 

[Verandah Man]

I feel as though I have been hit and run over by a MAC truck this morning. This musical weekend really hit me hard with a one, two punch and I'm happy to see it coming to an end, at least for one more year..............

Maybe I need to drink one of Angelina's Red Bull's this morning.....................

 

[captaincrash]

Hello....

Just checking in with a glance around before I turn in... today (yesterday) I was on a "mission" to get my daughter(s) a bunk bed that met exacting criteria. I wanted a bunk bed style with a) a full sized bed on top, b) a gap of between 51-55" between the floor and the bottom of the upper bunk which would allow us to use an existing computer station while conserving the headroom on the upper bunk, c) preferably a wooden structure so I can modify it as needed, d) potential to convert or adapt with changable facades (princess playhouse, castle, or fantasy designs), adaptability for a stairwell and possibly a slide, and e) Low cost.

After several days of investigation I found a few examples of the "perfect" bunk beds - however the only problem was that these were ranging in cost from $3500-8900! Thats' for a BED and the play structure! So... I found a compromise design that ranged in cost from 1k-2K... only this one really lacked in some respects as it had no traditional ladder or potential for matched stairs. And "traditional" upper bunks with workstations below were running $1400 or so.

Now I grew up in the furniture business and I really wanted a good deal and I didn't want to overpay for something I felt could be made for a fraction of the asking price. So... after several days of shopping I decided I would simply BUILD what I wanted to achieve the most objectives! Then while musing the project in the last day or so I decided I could compromise... I had found a basic bunk frame for a full sized bed from IKEA... and it was so cheap ($379 shown above) that I thought it would be OK to buy the inexpensive Ikea bunk bed to use as a foundation upon which I could add the special facade, slide and stairs... plus several minor details I hope to intergrate into the custom design. This Ikea design still needed a desk to match and possibly some storage drawers.

Well... as luck would have it - Costco had what I wanted at $1400... and I thought that was too much... and a local specialty bedding store for kids had what I wanted (almost) for $2400. Well... this was not very encouraging for a bargin hunter like my spouse and I. So I eventually stumbled across several plan designs on the web. The most exotic were as much as $125 for plans alone - with the admonishment that the materials would add another $300 and an average "Joe" like myself could in fact build a $5000 bed/bunk playset for less than 10% of the cost of a finished set of identical design.

Well... this kind of money for the "perfect" princess bunk bed was regretfully too expensive for me to consider with any satisfaction. SO - while enroute to Ikea we swung by a place called something like the "Barn" ... over on Sepulveda north of Burbank Blvd. As luck would turn out - they had a overhead bunk with workstation for only $299 on final sale! This design could be easily adapted with minimal effort to take a full sized bed... add a facade .... a slide and stairs if desired.... and it was made with cherry stained solid oak! It looks like this below....

So now - tomorrow I pick it up and I'll begin crafting the additional components so that we can install it with a full sized bed! By my reckoning we saved $1000 versus a comparable Costco design! And I have not found a cheaper or superior alternative... so I am pleased with our purchase.

Now all I have to do is design and build a nice facade to attach to the frame underneath. As a model... I am looking at several designs - however these photos below serve as good examples of what I hope to create to attach to the front of the new bunk bed.

$9,000 bed above! Below is an $1100+15- shipping Costco model

If I can convert the black set which I bought at the very top into something like one of the castle designs with a simple facade with nice molding, decent wood trip work and electrical power ... then maybe my cheapie $299 bunk bed - will approach the appearance and deliver the fun of the $3500-8900 dollar designs!

We'll soon see if muy creative juices deliver any results of merit in the days to come!

Below is the $1200 model that started our desire for a nice themed bed for our daughter. The features which might carry over to my hand made modifications will be the light fixture at the peak of the roof on the upper bunk side and the window up front. We are not gonna have a bed on the ground as this one has... but if we don't do a castle design then we ,ay have a simple peaked roof house facade like this one depicts below:

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

I do not know if you get the London Marathon in the USA but you will see London is hot and sunny currnetly 25c on the course, the elite races have just ended but all of the standard runners still going about the long course to Buckingham palace.
Blue skys, sunny, way above average for Spring, we seem to have just gone into Summer and missed spring this year.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

A week today I would be at my 90 day mark for the Med cruise so hopfully booked everything by now over the internet. Hope it works as this morning took about 20 mins to get on the diss.

 

[captaincrash]

Happy B-Day Lisa!
Radioclash/2​

 

[captaincrash]

Hello, Group!

Just joining in this thread.

I am SO looking forward to the repositioning cruise August, 2008. I am so excited that I do not know if I will make it to the day!

Welcome aboard MIKE (& family?)!​

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

CAPTAIN CRASH / TOM

WHATS THIS????

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

If you said Dalek you get 50% of the points as its 50% human, (and that’s American human as this is in New York.​