we're back!
Aug. 17th, 2007 05:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
likethebeerUnfortunately, there are no photos at the moment. I didn't take a digital camera w/me b/c, well, the digi cam that I use for work photos belongs to work, so I have to wait for my fam to get the time to put things up. I'm sure J (SIL) will do things when she can, but E will definitely not have the time. E said she's totally been working overtime the last few months. And, a'course, J spends her days chasing after 2 kids (I saw the evidence of it v.well in NJ - and was often scared out of my wits). So I'm trying to think of more things to write about regarding this trip.
Well, to start, I will not fly Northwest Airlines again if I can help it. We had 1 flight canceled on both our to & from trips. So we were supposed to get in on Thursday night, but didn't arrive until Friday afternoon (and got back 3 hours late yesterday). While they put us up in a hotel, fortunately we hadn't rented a car for the drive from the PHilly airport to the Jersey SHore. Oh, and by the way, the Clarion hotel near the Detroit airport is nice, but the food sucks. I hvae now officially had the worst Reuben in the United States. As if someone had heard of what a Reuben was, but had never actually seen, much less had, one.
Ok, back to NJ.
The place where we stayed? 3 houses from the shore in North Beach on Long Beach Island. I got a Google maps view of it. If you go to the link, you see Long Beach BLVD, labeled 2 times. There is a label on the right, and we stayed at the house to the right of that. It was more expensive than I want to think about (my oldest sister said that houses on the shore in this area sell for $12 million and even though the woman who rented us the house had owned it for "quite a long time," that's still big money), but damn it was nice. Hot tub (which you can kind of see in the satellite photo: it's on the upper right hand side of the house, a little, dark, rectangle), 4 bedrooms, a private shower after you got off the beach, every thing you can imagine you would need in terms of utensils, towels, beach chairs, lobster forks, a separate refrigerator for wine, a separate fridge that just made ice cubes; and, the best part, a 50 ft. walk on a private entry to the beach. The house is on Long Beach Island and if you can ever get there, do it. They've got the best beaches. They've got public beaches on the south part of the island (Beach Haven). I know b/c our mom used to pack us off there all the time during the summers. For probably a couple of bucks (for tags) all 3 kids could play all day while mom read on the shore.
Anyway, we got in on Friday afternoon and went right off to the shore. It was freaky w/those kids - I was so scared. Particularly b/c the undertow at that point was really strong. I kept falling in the sand while holding Q (she was really brave - I guess a lot more comfortable now than a year ago). I was scared for mda, too, b/c he had never swam in the ocean before. He totally ended up getting into it, and bought some cute spandex shirts w/50 SPF so he could boogie-board every day. He looked damn cute, too. And his nose is peeling!
Ok, niece moment: Q was teaching me how to body-surf. The 5.5 yo at one point said about herself, "Look out - there's a new body-surfer in town!"
Eeeeeek!
Oh, yeah, some of the other astronomical things that I talked about w/Q were black holes and wormholes (mda was so jealous). She kind of knows what atoms are, and understands that blackholes are really strong, and that, if we go into them, we might come out someplace else (I tried to explain why - sort of - by saying, "Ok, think of the universe as like a table and a blackhole is like a dip in the table," but I didn't do too well).
She also asked me about mda & me. Did we live together? (yes) Had I ever lived w/anyone else (I told her no, but had forgotten the asshole ex-fiance - a fine development in my mind). Why did I live w/mda? (because, I told her, I guess I love him more than any of my other bfs). How many bfs had I had? (A couple, I told her - LIE LIE LIE). And, she said, "Boyfriends and girlfriends are a good thing they thought up." "Yeah. Yeah, that was a good thing."
Oh! Moment w/my nephew: we went to the hot tub and he was a little nervous b/c the water was hot (he was fine w/his mommy, J, there, but wasn't too confident w/me). I was poking in the water a little bit while playing w/him and, right before he fell into the water, I thought, "That's not a good idea [visions of him falling into the water dancing through my head]." But he slipped, I grabbed him, put him right back up, and it was all fine. He and I also had some nice times of digging in the sand. Although he is SO determined to do things on his own. And he wanted to make "concrete" - lots of sand and a little water - in this little plastic wagon that he could drag along. Finally, he loaded it so much up w/stuff, that i couldn't believe he could pull this thing. It was, like, 15 lbs. and he was doing it (have I mentioned that he's 2.5 yo, like 30 lbs and gets cold really quickly b/c he's got no fat on his body?). Every time M saw me helping by picking up the back of the wagon, he'd say, "M do! M DO!"
I compromised by helping when he wasn't watching. But the determined look on his face while doing these things was so cute! That kid just had a plan and nothing could stop him.
That went ok. The next day when I put a diaper on (yay! the right way!) and he had a melt-down after 3 unsuccessful attempts at putting on his shorts, saying, "M do! M do!!" and hitting me 3 times until I held his arm on the backswing and said, "do not hit me." (this was after both of his mother's have made clear that he is not to hit or bite) and he went running into his parents room, screaming at me to go away?
Not so good.
At least the diapers were on straight.
Oh, and I played being a monkey around him, eating his fingers as bananas. Oh! And he watched golf w/dad. I wish dad had a little more energy (dad does, too), b/c those two guys totally match on their interest in sports.
He's so sweet - he laughs and smiles and... he's just so sweet. He would offer me things, even as I can see this younger child dealing w/all of the injustice of not being the only child. He can get the feeling that people are (a) taking things from him or (b) doing things for him. And each moment makes him so angry. I think that (b) will fade quickly, but (a) will be around for a while. Still, I think it's a good thing. I, personally, distrust only children when I first meet them. That's due to the asshole ex-fiance, but the man really never learned to live w/someone else.
Anyway, back to M: there was this moment when Q & M got into their parents' car -- where they found MONEY!!! (about 47 cents on the floor & between the seats). ANd Q went running back inside and M looked at me from his seat, w/a nickel in his hand, and said in this squeaky voice of pure joy, "I HAVE MONEY I HAVE MONEY!!" (just like his aunt, M).
And, yes, mom thinks that Q might have a crush on mda, which is not the first time that has happened. I was so proud to say to my mom, "I told you: kids adore him." Again, I was so happy that my family saw it. I can only imagine that it elevates him in their eyes. "You see? There is a reason why I love this man!" It's mostly the fact that he was nice to the kids, which is a value all its own. But it's also what it says about his personality: the creativity and kindness.
I had to call my mom last night just b/c I knew she must have been so lonely w/out all that ruckus. Well, and I wanted to cry when I left. Not for some of the usual reasons - that I may not see her healthy again - but just... because.
And, oh, I just have to write this down before I forget: my mom told me that when I was a little girl, about 2.5 yo myself, they found me standing in my crib at night, looking out the window where the squirrels were "scampering," in the trees outside the window; and I was "singing to the squirrels."
Well, to start, I will not fly Northwest Airlines again if I can help it. We had 1 flight canceled on both our to & from trips. So we were supposed to get in on Thursday night, but didn't arrive until Friday afternoon (and got back 3 hours late yesterday). While they put us up in a hotel, fortunately we hadn't rented a car for the drive from the PHilly airport to the Jersey SHore. Oh, and by the way, the Clarion hotel near the Detroit airport is nice, but the food sucks. I hvae now officially had the worst Reuben in the United States. As if someone had heard of what a Reuben was, but had never actually seen, much less had, one.
Ok, back to NJ.
The place where we stayed? 3 houses from the shore in North Beach on Long Beach Island. I got a Google maps view of it. If you go to the link, you see Long Beach BLVD, labeled 2 times. There is a label on the right, and we stayed at the house to the right of that. It was more expensive than I want to think about (my oldest sister said that houses on the shore in this area sell for $12 million and even though the woman who rented us the house had owned it for "quite a long time," that's still big money), but damn it was nice. Hot tub (which you can kind of see in the satellite photo: it's on the upper right hand side of the house, a little, dark, rectangle), 4 bedrooms, a private shower after you got off the beach, every thing you can imagine you would need in terms of utensils, towels, beach chairs, lobster forks, a separate refrigerator for wine, a separate fridge that just made ice cubes; and, the best part, a 50 ft. walk on a private entry to the beach. The house is on Long Beach Island and if you can ever get there, do it. They've got the best beaches. They've got public beaches on the south part of the island (Beach Haven). I know b/c our mom used to pack us off there all the time during the summers. For probably a couple of bucks (for tags) all 3 kids could play all day while mom read on the shore.
Anyway, we got in on Friday afternoon and went right off to the shore. It was freaky w/those kids - I was so scared. Particularly b/c the undertow at that point was really strong. I kept falling in the sand while holding Q (she was really brave - I guess a lot more comfortable now than a year ago). I was scared for mda, too, b/c he had never swam in the ocean before. He totally ended up getting into it, and bought some cute spandex shirts w/50 SPF so he could boogie-board every day. He looked damn cute, too. And his nose is peeling!
Ok, niece moment: Q was teaching me how to body-surf. The 5.5 yo at one point said about herself, "Look out - there's a new body-surfer in town!"
Eeeeeek!
Oh, yeah, some of the other astronomical things that I talked about w/Q were black holes and wormholes (mda was so jealous). She kind of knows what atoms are, and understands that blackholes are really strong, and that, if we go into them, we might come out someplace else (I tried to explain why - sort of - by saying, "Ok, think of the universe as like a table and a blackhole is like a dip in the table," but I didn't do too well).
She also asked me about mda & me. Did we live together? (yes) Had I ever lived w/anyone else (I told her no, but had forgotten the asshole ex-fiance - a fine development in my mind). Why did I live w/mda? (because, I told her, I guess I love him more than any of my other bfs). How many bfs had I had? (A couple, I told her - LIE LIE LIE). And, she said, "Boyfriends and girlfriends are a good thing they thought up." "Yeah. Yeah, that was a good thing."
Oh! Moment w/my nephew: we went to the hot tub and he was a little nervous b/c the water was hot (he was fine w/his mommy, J, there, but wasn't too confident w/me). I was poking in the water a little bit while playing w/him and, right before he fell into the water, I thought, "That's not a good idea [visions of him falling into the water dancing through my head]." But he slipped, I grabbed him, put him right back up, and it was all fine. He and I also had some nice times of digging in the sand. Although he is SO determined to do things on his own. And he wanted to make "concrete" - lots of sand and a little water - in this little plastic wagon that he could drag along. Finally, he loaded it so much up w/stuff, that i couldn't believe he could pull this thing. It was, like, 15 lbs. and he was doing it (have I mentioned that he's 2.5 yo, like 30 lbs and gets cold really quickly b/c he's got no fat on his body?). Every time M saw me helping by picking up the back of the wagon, he'd say, "M do! M DO!"
I compromised by helping when he wasn't watching. But the determined look on his face while doing these things was so cute! That kid just had a plan and nothing could stop him.
That went ok. The next day when I put a diaper on (yay! the right way!) and he had a melt-down after 3 unsuccessful attempts at putting on his shorts, saying, "M do! M do!!" and hitting me 3 times until I held his arm on the backswing and said, "do not hit me." (this was after both of his mother's have made clear that he is not to hit or bite) and he went running into his parents room, screaming at me to go away?
Not so good.
At least the diapers were on straight.
Oh, and I played being a monkey around him, eating his fingers as bananas. Oh! And he watched golf w/dad. I wish dad had a little more energy (dad does, too), b/c those two guys totally match on their interest in sports.
He's so sweet - he laughs and smiles and... he's just so sweet. He would offer me things, even as I can see this younger child dealing w/all of the injustice of not being the only child. He can get the feeling that people are (a) taking things from him or (b) doing things for him. And each moment makes him so angry. I think that (b) will fade quickly, but (a) will be around for a while. Still, I think it's a good thing. I, personally, distrust only children when I first meet them. That's due to the asshole ex-fiance, but the man really never learned to live w/someone else.
Anyway, back to M: there was this moment when Q & M got into their parents' car -- where they found MONEY!!! (about 47 cents on the floor & between the seats). ANd Q went running back inside and M looked at me from his seat, w/a nickel in his hand, and said in this squeaky voice of pure joy, "I HAVE MONEY I HAVE MONEY!!" (just like his aunt, M).
And, yes, mom thinks that Q might have a crush on mda, which is not the first time that has happened. I was so proud to say to my mom, "I told you: kids adore him." Again, I was so happy that my family saw it. I can only imagine that it elevates him in their eyes. "You see? There is a reason why I love this man!" It's mostly the fact that he was nice to the kids, which is a value all its own. But it's also what it says about his personality: the creativity and kindness.
I had to call my mom last night just b/c I knew she must have been so lonely w/out all that ruckus. Well, and I wanted to cry when I left. Not for some of the usual reasons - that I may not see her healthy again - but just... because.
And, oh, I just have to write this down before I forget: my mom told me that when I was a little girl, about 2.5 yo myself, they found me standing in my crib at night, looking out the window where the squirrels were "scampering," in the trees outside the window; and I was "singing to the squirrels."
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-08-18 12:54 am (UTC)The pilots agreed, but it's very clear that they are no longer willing to cut corners to keep the company happy and flights on time.
Northwest will probably recover at some point, but only after they agree to hire more pilots or pay their current crew more monty.
Plus tonight is a good night for beer.
no subject
Date: 2007-08-18 01:17 am (UTC)Ok, so NWA (which, needless to say, I cannot see without thinking "Niggas With Attitude) gets $774 from me, first off for 2 reservations. Then puts me & mda up for a night, giving us $23 for food, and a bit of "oh, we're sorry, please take this future discount," and $20 last night, and another, "oh, we're sorry, please take this future discount $" and I can't imagine they make a lot of money off of all this. Plus the fact that I am not predisposed to choose them from now on.
And, I do have beer. YAY WISCONSIN!
correction
Date: 2007-08-18 01:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-18 01:24 am (UTC)Fuck the Police or Welcome to the Terrordome?
NWA doesn't want what's happening - there are definitely losing money - but it's the pilots and the untion who are forcing it.
I guarantee it won't be like this forever.
no subject
Date: 2007-08-18 01:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-20 05:20 pm (UTC)-------------
* I used to trap and relocate squirrels so'z they wouldn't attack M'Luv's garden in Minneapolis. Here in the Holler, the squirrelz have plenty of real food that they don't bother the garden.