Teenage Mutant Backseat Dancers - 11/18 UPDATE! P25 - Leaving on a jet plane

[ddstratton]

Guess I'll have to get a tattoo, right?
Any suggestions on subject... and placement?

Hmm... no comment.

What the heck is a "fake" slurpee? Made with wood chips?
We take our slurpees very seriously up here.

A fake Slurpee -- a "Slushie" -- any drink made with crushed ice, basically.

I remember that.
I was especially struck by the picture of her playing on the floor with a toy rig.

Thought she was cute.

Where did that come from anyway? Was it Smokey and the Bandit?
Or something else? I don't remember if you said.

Thanks. She still likes her toy rigs, and has collected a few more since that picture. As a matter of fact, she talked me into MAKING her a rig...

Yup, I do believe her love of rigs and truck-driving started with the Smokey and the Bandit movies.

 

[Thumper_Man]

I MADE IT!

 

[DizzneyDi]

It's always sad to get to the end of a trip report, both for the readers and the writer. Hey, maybe that's why Nebo doesn't finish his? (Though if I were him, I'd consider finding slightly less catastrophic means to delay the inevitable, knowwhatImean?) Anyways, hope you're not feeling too despondent over having posted the last chapter, Ponzi. You know what they say about all good things...

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your trip, particularly since I don't have daughters, only one son. It was fun seeing how differently they approach travel. Take Mall of America, for instance. DS would be happy there for an hour and a half, tops, and little to none of that time would be spent shopping! He does, however, cheerfully sleep on foldout couches so I don't have to, which makes him the perfect traveling companion even if he's not much of a shopper!

Would you like to know the one thing I'm taking away from your trip report?? It's that there are still good dads who are willing to drive anywhere and do anything to make their little girls' lives richer and happier. Elle (and Dee, too, I'm sure) made memories on your trip that will stay with her forever. Well done, sir.

 

[pkondz]

Yeah, that's what I tell myself every morning when I drive by on my way to work. Okay, what I really think is her boyfriend can ride it with her at Thanksgiving when they come over.

I'm sure he'll be a gentleman and let you ride with her.

Hmm... no comment.

You sure? I bet you really want to.

A fake Slurpee -- a "Slushie" -- any drink made with crushed ice, basically.

Yeah we have those.
One company even has "Cold Sucks" which I think is pretty funny.

Thanks. She still likes her toy rigs, and has collected a few more since that picture. As a matter of fact, she talked me into MAKING her a rig...

Yup, I do believe her love of rigs and truck-driving started with the Smokey and the Bandit movies.

That rig... That's pretty darned good!
What's the core? Foam?
Either way, it's awesome.

I MADE IT!

Attaboy!

<cricket><cricket><cricket>

It's always sad to get to the end of a trip report, both for the readers and the writer. Hey, maybe that's why Nebo doesn't finish his? (Though if I were him, I'd consider finding slightly less catastrophic means to delay the inevitable, knowwhatImean?)

Nah. It's in his blood to shed a little of it for our enjoyment.

Anyways, hope you're not feeling too despondent over having posted the last chapter, Ponzi. You know what they say about all good things...

They come to those who wait?
I think I actually felt a bit sad and a bit relieved at the same time.

These things are a lot of work!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your trip, particularly since I don't have daughters, only one son. It was fun seeing how differently they approach travel. Take Mall of America, for instance. DS would be happy there for an hour and a half, tops, and little to none of that time would be spent shopping! He does, however, cheerfully sleep on foldout couches so I don't have to, which makes him the perfect traveling companion even if he's not much of a shopper!

I wish I'd known that. I would've borrowed him for this trip.

Would you like to know the one thing I'm taking away from your trip report?? It's that there are still good dads who are willing to drive anywhere and do anything to make their little girls' lives richer and happier. Elle (and Dee, too, I'm sure) made memories on your trip that will stay with her forever. Well done, sir.

Well.. gee!
I don't know what to say... that's a really nice compliment.
Thanks!

 

[nowellsl]

I second what DizzneyDi said! You have made some great memories! I hope you plan a trip soon, I'm gonna miss reading a Ponzi report! I don't care where you go, just write about it, OK? Still waiting for Nebo, can we drag this out for a bit?

 

[pkondz]

I second what DizzneyDi said! You have made some great memories! I hope you plan a trip soon, I'm gonna miss reading a Ponzi report! I don't care where you go, just write about it, OK? Still waiting for Nebo, can we drag this out for a bit?

But I'm not going anywhere!
Well, a two day whirlwind tour of Halifax, NS.
But that's it!
Hardly enough for a TR.

Went to Halifax. It was cold. Ate seafood. The end.

As for Nebo, that's up to him.
I'm hoping he'll post, just like everyone else!

 

[monymony3471]

I know Nebo is working on it, in his case slow and steady.

 

[smidgy]

nebo told me to post that he is working on it.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

nebo told me to post that he is working on it.

 

[mmeb144]

nebo told me to post that he is working on it.

Yay! Just keep typing. Just keep typing. Just keep typing.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Thinking about our Canadian friends today.

 

[pkondz]

Thinking about our Canadian friends today.

Thanks Tammie. I sent a PM to Bankr63 who lives in Ottawa.
It's not been a great few days.

 

[pkondz]

Got a PM from Montague. He and A+ (as you can well imagine) had a bit of a stressful day but are otherwise okay.

 

[jedijill]

Got a PM from Montague. He and A+ (as you can well imagine) had a bit of a stressful day but are otherwise okay.

Thanks for letting us know. What a scary situation and tragedy.

Jill in CO

 

[queenbetsey]

Glad to hear you folks are ok up there. Was thinking of my Dis friends up there in Canada yesterday. I need to get caught up I have been away too too long.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Glad to hear things are okay for them.

 

[bankr63]

Thought I would chime in with a repeat of some of what I sent to Pkondz and a few added thoughts:

Wednesday was a stressful day all around. All Ottawa area schools went into lockdown, which ended up affecting all of my family. I happened to be at a client agency site that shares location with a high school; lockdown. DS's High School was in lockdown. A+'s Intermediate School was in lockdown (she's a teacher). Had a panic moment as I tried to rationalize DD's college class schedule. Her bus passed about a block south of the memorial probably about 30 minutes prior. Her college did not actually lockdown, and ended up cancelling afternoon classes when the power went out (there were several odd power outages in the city that day - no one knows if it was security related or not), releasing all students into a bit of a mass hysteria. IT was a long bus ride home avoiding the downtown trouble area.

I "escaped" and made it back to my office around noon, but when I left around 5:00, I was surprised to see one part of our parking lot full. Forgot that the abutting building is DND (Canadian for DoD). Still in lockdown.

I now realize just how everyone in Boston must have felt in the days after the bombings there. At one point the media was announcing up to 4 shooters, and there was only one captured. The search area kept expanding for several hours, bridges were closed, ramps to the main arterial highway were blocked. Surprisingly enough everyone remained calm and vigilant, but it IS very stressful. I am thankful that our state of alert only lasted a few hours before the details began to make sense and it was determined that there was only the one shooter.

Some musings. Lot's of pundits asking how someone could get onto Parliament hill and past security; I hope they don't drastically change things. Terrorists or not, if we end up locking up our public institutions, they win. I actually think the balance of access vs security is pretty good. And did you see just how many people with guns were on the scene before it got out of hand? The shooter was dead literally a minute or two after breaching security. I still worry about A+ more than the politicians. Schools don't have SWAT teams on standby onsite.

2nd musing - where the heck did Ottawa get so many police officers? Within minutes there was a presence so broad it was mind boggling! Where do these people hide the rest of the time? And no, they didn't call in the off duty officers (I know one, they weren't called in).

3rd musing - How chilling that this came home to Canada ON (not AT but literally ON) the tomb of the unknown soldier? That is where that poor young honor guard was lying while all those people worked to save his life. Perhaps it was a symbolic gesture from a twisted mind; but the location sure does bring it home.

My city will probably never be exactly the same, but I hope we have the wisdom to keep it, like all of Canada, Strong AND Free.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

What a harrowing day! I was not in Boston, but DBIL was at the Pentagon on that day - we couldn't get any communication in or out, so we waited for many hours to hear if he was alright. It was very stressful - I know how you felt. I'm glad your family is okay.

I think there is a fine line between balance of freedom and security. We have a secure white house, and yet that area has been breached multiple times in recent months. I don't know what the answer is. How much freedom do we give up in order to prevent total chaos?

 

[pkondz]

Thanks for sharing your story, M.
I was hoping you would.

 

[mmeb144]

Thanks Montague! It's good to hear a different perspective than what I could find online. Sounds pretty crazy! Glad you are ok.