Beach Day #2

Tuesday, 29 May 2007

So what time did we get up yesterday? I was up about 7:30 I guess. Went down to the boardwalk to try and find coffee filters for the maker in the room – but nothing opened yet. It must have been 9:30 or 10 till everyone was up and ready and we came down to Adam’s for breakfast.

We headed out to the boardwalk, pausing to watch some school kids having a field day on the beach. We passed a bike rental place and ended up renting one of those 4-person “Surrey” bikes. Dad was in the driver’s seat with Elmer beside him. Mom and I took the back two seats. Elmer didn’t pedal, so the 3 of us pushed and pedaled up and down the boardwalk. Well, we didn’t go past Gateway because that’s where North Wildwood ends and the Wildwood police apparently enforce the “no bikes after 11 AM” rule. So we made two little loops in about 30 minutes. But it was something Elmer had never done and he enjoyed it.

Then Mom and I stopped in the various shops while Dad and Elmer headed on up to Gateway so Elmer could pull the slots. By the time Mom and I got up there they were about ready to head out. So we came back to the room. Mom went out to the pool to sunbathe and Dad went out with her and sat and did some Bible reading. Elmer rested and took his breathing treatments and I took some meds and a nap to ward off a migraine that was just starting.

I got up from my nap about 3:30 and Dad and I ran to the nearest CVS in town to get those few items we needed (coffee filters, dish soap, a sqeaky toy for Elmer so that if he needed us in the middle of the night he’d have a noisemaker)…

So Elmer has all these oxygen tanks with him… and coming down they were wedged in the packed van well. Thing is, they’re not supposed to bump against one another. That’s what the oxygen man said when he dropped them up. No bumping because they could explode. So when Dad and I got into the van and I pulled out of the parking lot and hit a bump I heard a “clank.” I panicked. Daddy! I pulled off to the side of the road and Dad put a seat belt around them. It didn’t take. Shortly after I pulled out onto the road I heard “CLANK!” I squealed. Then suddenly, another “CLANK!” I squealed again. My heart was racing and I was panicking! Then a little bump and a third “CLANK!” I squealed even louder. Then I pulled off to the side and made Dad get out and fix them so they wouldn’t clank together. After that there were no further incidents – though my nerves were shot!

Once back we got ready to head down to the boardwalk again. We walked most of the way down to the other end before we found another restaurant that I could eat at – someplace with vegetables (rather than just fries or potatoes or corn on the cob or cole slaw). Had a decent dinner (but not as good as Adam’s). Then we stopped in a few shops – got Elmer a sweatshirt – and they headed to Gateway while I stopped in a few more and got my own sweatshirt. They got ice cream at Kohr Bros. again but all the places with Moosetracks were closed. Apparently the boardwalk isn’t a big thing this time of year… not everything is open.

Back to the room and played Domino’s Mexican Train until after midnight. We were all in bed between 1:30 and 2!

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Beach Day #1

So it was my thought to get on here and update my entire vacation. But, alas, the room doesn’t get internet access and this was the first time I got down to the lobby to get on here…

We left about 9:00 AM Monday morning. The trip here (about 4.5 hours) wasn’t so great – I had a migraine and was kinda sick on my stomach. In fact, I’ve head (at least the start of) a migraine every day. *sigh* Plus my iPod went all whack on me and was empty when I went to listen to it. Tried to recharge from my laptop but it only took about half the songs! Grr.

Ate lunch at a Burger King on the PA Turnpike and got to Wildwood (New Jersey) about 3:30 or 4. We’re in a pretty nice “resort” hotel. We got the “Superior Oceanview Suite” with 2 bedrooms, a full kitchen area and a living room. Mom and Dad have a king bed with a bathroom in their room. I’m in a room with 2 double beds. Elmer is out on the couches. (The one couch is a bed but Elmer sleeps in more of a sitting-up position.) Elmer and I share the main bathroom. We have a balcony with two sliding glass doors (different angles) and a good ocean view from the living room.

So we got settled in and it was probably nearing 6 when we headed down to Adam’s restaurant for dinner. Then, of course, we made a beeline down to Gateway 26 – the “casino arcade” where we played Dueces Wild and the slots and skeeball and such. We had over 4,000 points that first evening. Mom and Dad and Elmer got some ice cream at Kohr Bros. and I spent most of the walk back to the hotel looking for a place that had ice cream (or any treat) that I could have! Finally found a place that had a “low carb moosetracks” ice cream. And they were nice enough to get the container out so I could read the ingredients. It looked workable – so I got a small dish. And I didn’t really have a reaction (not that I could tell, anyhow) so I think I’m okay on that one.

So we got back to the room and I watched some TV while they played dice. We got to bed around 11 or so that first night…

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Mimes are overrated…

… or at least some videos of them are.

So I typed in “mime” into the search box at the On The Lot website. 29 hits. Some movies, some actors. So they say.

I watched a few of the shorts. The one that’s linked to the title of this post is pretty good. Funny, in fact. Reminds me of Jenny Grey – or something she could do. *grin*

But many of them made me cringe and cry. The mime technique was horrendous. *sigh* People who think it’s cool or funny or even derogatory to use mime in or as the main part of a film, should at least take care to get a professional or at least decent mime. With good technique. It only makes the director look bad.

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Me and Reality TV

Well, it finally happened. I got hooked into a Reality TV show. I never thought I’d see the day. (Look out your window, do you see those pigs flying?) I don’t much care for Reality TV – mean judges or wild competitions or random situations that are highly edited and (often) purposely designed by the head haunchos to bring the most drama, conflict and head-butting.

But last week I was channel surfing (while having my evening snack) and I caught a glimpse of a group of people taking a tour of Universal Studios. I’ve only been there like a dozen or more times (another reason I miss SoCal.) So naturally, I had to pause. It was part of “On The Lot” a reality show where directors (or director wanna-bes) get challenged to test their stuff during a bunch of challenges and then viewer votes for a $1 Million deal with Dreamworks.

So I was gonna keep going after I saw what it was. Reality TV. (Shudder.) Then they brought out the judges. Brett Ratner (recall the kid in segment #38 of Jenny’s story?). Carrie Fisher (the one and only). And two other cool director guys who’ve made movies I’ve heard of.

And maybe it was living in SoCal for all that time, or knowing people who are (or who want to be) “in the industry,” and people who want to make it big as directors… but I kept watching… and watching… and watching…

I’m invested. I’m intrigued. Some of them are really talented. Some of them really get on my nerves. Spielberg said in an interview (he and Mark Burnett are behind this thing) that this wasn’t a typical reality show. The judges aren’t overly cruel. The contestants have no reason and are not prodded to be mean and out for one another. It’s really focused on their work. (Not that there’s not some editing for dramatic aspects… I mean, this is a reality TV about directing!)

I have a few favorites already. Including this guy… Zach Lipovsky. Like what I’ve seen of his work. As well as 4 others that really stand out to me.

But I’m still in shock. I’m watching – and hooked on – a reality TV show. And I may even end up voting! (Shudder.)

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and did I mention my car broke down?

So I spent about 42 hours longer in the Cincinnati area last weekend than I had planned. I’m all about multi-tasking, being practical, getting more than one use of things and “killing (more than one) birds with one stone.” So I figured while I was 9 hours West in Ohio for a wedding reception of one friend, I mayaswell drive the additional 5 hours to see another friend across the border in Indiana. (It’s only about 12 hours back from South Bend, then.)

It was a good plan.

Was.

Until I left the reception and stopped at Kroger for ice. When I came back out my car didn’t start. At all. Gear wouldn’t shift, wheel wouldn’t budge. No lights, no locks, no battery. Couldn’t figure why my battery would be drained when I hadn’t left anything on and my car had been fine 5 minutes before. I peered under the hood – I saw corrosion. Great.

Start a headache-inducing series of events. Placed many calls before getting a hold of my friend’s brother at their house. He came, knocked off some of the corrosion and jumped my car. It ran for under a minute. Nice mechanic Kroger shopper also tries to help. Jump car. Runs. Turn on lights. Dead. Big trouble. It’s late on a Saturday evening. No shops open. Car towed. Extra nights at the house of my friend’s family (after they leave for honeymoon). No Indiana. No South Bend. No Mary. And no 2-day “creativity” retreat where I’m around people as creative and crazy as I am.

Monday morning rolls around. Battery isn’t drained, it’s dead. But at least it wasn’t the alternator. *sigh* They have it fixed by noon and I just want to get home. Nothing like a rough series of events to make you want Mom and Dad and your comfort zone.

I pull in to our house in time to unload and watch Heroes. So there was a bright spot…

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Introducing Lynen

<a href=”<a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/earthenvessels/511560399/&#8221; title=”Photo Sharing”“>

This is Lynen Alexis Garson, my newest character. Hopefully I’ll be able to start working on her backstory soon. She’s part of a comic-verse created by my friends Mary and Scott. She may even be as interesting as Jenny Grey.

The sketch is charcoal, ink and colored pencil (each figure a different medium). I’m no Michaelangelo, but I like it.

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The Smells of Spring

One of the things I love about being back in small town Pennsylvania is the lovely little back roads I take everywhere (as opposed to SoCal’s freeway system). And now that it is springtime we have sunshine and breezes and can drive with the windows down, getting a sampling of the smells of spring (as opposed to smog).

Last week I was driving the route I take home from work. I went past the Martin’s Potato Bread company and they were baking. Tantalizing. The scent of freshly baking bread.

A short distance up the road someone was mowing and the invigorating scent of freshly cut grass wafted through my car.

I turned by a small wooded area and the breeze brought with it a sweet smell of honeysuckle.

Then I passed a house with rows of lilacs in full bloom. A beautiful, relaxing scent.

A bit further and I crossed a small bridge over a bubbling brook, carrying scents of fresh water and quaint creek greens.

Nice.

And then I passed the farms where the farmer was out spreading fertilizer on his fields. Fresh liquid manure.

Ah, the smells of spring.

It’s good to be home again.

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Not something you hear everyday…

So the other morning I was listening to the Christian radio station and they gave this announcement:

“We have traffic delays in Bethlehem this morning.”

It made me laugh.

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Words to remember

“Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps, for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things are and what they ought to be.” ~ William Hazlitt

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