One of my previous managers was a walking nightmare for people who like things to be streamlined and focused. I thought of something funny today that might give you an example of how this person worked.
Hypothetical Problem: Create and implement a new, more efficient absence policy/procedure.
Old Manager's Notes:
1. Make a Spreadsheet!
2. Review personal document on "policy and procedure creation and documentation"
3. Google "absence policy"
4. Review old "absence policy"
5. Review generic business management book on "getting employee buy-in for new policies and procedures"
6. Schedule strategy meeting with asst. mgr. to determine "next steps" (aka, create new absence policy/procedure)
7. Schedule individual meetings with all employees to "obtain ideas"
Note to self: make sure to take notes, act interested, make eye contact, ask probing questions, feed them ideas and pretend they did it"
8. Schedule secondary meeting as a group to share information (aka "get buy-in")
Meeting prep notes: prep probing questions, via long silences force employees to share ideas until they guess exactly what I have already determined the new procedure will be, bring sticky notes and markers!, get volunteers for "absence policy taskforce"
9. Delegate the documenting of newly gathered info to employee
10. Spend personal time taking data entered by employee into new, better spreadsheet
11. Schedule meeting with "absence policy task-force" to create a communication for the new policy
12. Discard communication created by task-force and create new, better communication
13. Individually note performance in process on all employee personnel files for mid year evaluation.
14. Determine if any sub task-forces need to be created
15. Per note from Employee Relations, new procedure no longer needed.
Happy Hump Day
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
2010 New Years Resolutions
Its time, once again, to make a list that I won't look at again after I post it. Maybe I should hang this up somewhere so's I'll see it daily.
18. Get into a nursing program!
1. Be more thrifty...or do more with less stuff.
2. Get good at making bread. I'm on my way!
3. Six words: Abs Of Steele, Chariots of Fire
4. Get rid of all the things I've moved three or four times and never once used: Hello Garage Sale!
5. Be more efficient at keeping this house clean, regardless of who does the cleaning.
6. Get back to a few of my favorite hobbies: needle arts (quilting, crochet and needlepoint).
7. Remember to take the reusable bags to the grocery store every week.
8. Finish painting the powder room. Almost done!
9. Get house ready for sale power!
10. Go visit my long distance friends.
11. Paint the darn china hutch.
12. Finish that Baby-Mama website. Because its freakin' awesome.
13. Get creative with the weekly menu for Baby and Mama&Daddy
14. More Mama & Daddy time
15. Go to the beach with the fam!
16. Move to WV.
17. Cut back on the cussing....a little16. Move to WV.
18. Get into a nursing program!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Home is Where You Make It
We had a really nice visit with the family back home. It was surreal being there and imagining that place being my every day home again. I haven't really lived there since I left for college 12 years ago and its changed a little here and there but the heart of it remains the same.
The snow hit hard a few days before we got there (24in) but by the time we got there the power was back up and the roads were clear and dry with only a few hairy moments on hill/mountain tops on the interstate. We had a really swell visit. There were a few missing family members this year, but thats ok, we survived. Lilly did great on the trip up and back but her sleeping in between was all over the place. Which means our sleeping was all over the place. Coffee saved my ass this week.
We spent a few hours on Sunday driving around a few neighborhoods, just browsing, where we ID'd homes for sale on the internets. The one thing that we noticed was how all over the board the streets were in terms of property value. You could have a house worth about $250K on the same street as a house worth under 100K. Thats a wide range. So our goal will be find a house that isn't the best house on any given street, but above average. Because the end game is re-sale baby! Oh, and it'll be hard to get used to everything being on a fucking hill! Soooooo not used to that here. Hills and hills and fucking hills. Four wheel drive, here we come.
I was a bit afraid that the snow would scare off my husband from the idea. But he's still game and so am I. I've already started making a mental list of things I need to get rid of and organize this winter and spring. I've also started thinking about the things I'm going to miss, like Whole Foods. I'm really going to miss Whole Foods, with their bulk food section and all the organic goodness. I'm also going to miss the ease of travelling to and from this place. Although my home town has a small airport and there are two with in two hours drive both north and south of there, its not quite as easy a trip.
But there are some really nice elements: being close to my family, a network of old/close friends to hang with, the beauty of spending time with my folks but then having some place else to go afterwards, all the green, the friendly people, the quiet, etc, etc. There are down sides too, but we'll cover that in another post.
Next up: Molly Cooks Christmas Dinner and makes her Grandmap Puke (in a good way...)
The snow hit hard a few days before we got there (24in) but by the time we got there the power was back up and the roads were clear and dry with only a few hairy moments on hill/mountain tops on the interstate. We had a really swell visit. There were a few missing family members this year, but thats ok, we survived. Lilly did great on the trip up and back but her sleeping in between was all over the place. Which means our sleeping was all over the place. Coffee saved my ass this week.
We spent a few hours on Sunday driving around a few neighborhoods, just browsing, where we ID'd homes for sale on the internets. The one thing that we noticed was how all over the board the streets were in terms of property value. You could have a house worth about $250K on the same street as a house worth under 100K. Thats a wide range. So our goal will be find a house that isn't the best house on any given street, but above average. Because the end game is re-sale baby! Oh, and it'll be hard to get used to everything being on a fucking hill! Soooooo not used to that here. Hills and hills and fucking hills. Four wheel drive, here we come.
I was a bit afraid that the snow would scare off my husband from the idea. But he's still game and so am I. I've already started making a mental list of things I need to get rid of and organize this winter and spring. I've also started thinking about the things I'm going to miss, like Whole Foods. I'm really going to miss Whole Foods, with their bulk food section and all the organic goodness. I'm also going to miss the ease of travelling to and from this place. Although my home town has a small airport and there are two with in two hours drive both north and south of there, its not quite as easy a trip.
But there are some really nice elements: being close to my family, a network of old/close friends to hang with, the beauty of spending time with my folks but then having some place else to go afterwards, all the green, the friendly people, the quiet, etc, etc. There are down sides too, but we'll cover that in another post.
Next up: Molly Cooks Christmas Dinner and makes her Grandmap Puke (in a good way...)
Friday, December 18, 2009
Happy Holidays
The things you see in any workplace the week before Christmas are usually pretty sweet and fun. Today, I handed out cookies to my newish co-workers and it was fun to see the surprise on their faces. Around mid morning, I saw the people who handle finances here (I call them the Money People) do a little gift exchange and it was sweet to see their faces as they traded boxes wrapped in Christmas-y paper. All sweet, humble and full of joy. On my lunch hour I walked down the street to my old office to hand out cookies and got one of those hugs that squeeze all the air out of your lungs and a few tears from your eyes. I miss my old co-workers dearly and it’s always good to see their faces. On my way back I walked over to our little grill to grab a sandwich. The side of the building has a lot of glass. As I walked along it I could see a patient receiving treatment, next window down a group of co-workers happily having pizza and a gift exchange, and then the lobby where patients and their loved ones were waiting and/or eating a quick lunch. Everyone in the grill had on Santa hats. As I walked back to my building I saw a delivery van. The Santa-hat-wearing driver was delivering a tray of sweet goodies to someone in my building. He opened the door for me. Everyone is friendly and a little lighter. The hard part is over. Now we kick around until the holidays start. When the holiday is over, we’ll gear up and start it all up again…bigger and better, as they say. This year was tough and exciting. I know it’ll just get better and better.
This year I’m thankful for my new job, for my beautiful family and for good friends. And for miracles. Because they do happen.
This year I’m thankful for my new job, for my beautiful family and for good friends. And for miracles. Because they do happen.
Happy Holidays
Monday, December 7, 2009
Around and around we go, where she stops, nobody freakin' knows.
I've been waiting a good 6 months or so for my husband to be ready and now is the time. Time for what, you ask? Oh, only the same shit I've been blogging about since I started the first one back in St. Louis. Get ready, here it comes.
The question we ask ourselves every blue moon is: What's keeping us here? Well, there isn't a whole lot keeping us here in Kentucky. Yes, we bought this house just last year, but its only a house. We could sell it if we had to and we'll make a profit either way, thanks to the wonders of purchasing a foreclosure. Where would we go?
He and I have talked alot lately about how nice it would be to live close to family. With the baby and being practically on our own, dude its hard. Now, he's willing to consider moving close to my family, aka, moving to my hometown. I'd consider moving close to his parents too, I'd like to add, but I have no desire to move that far from my roots (or to the desert). This is something that we just haven't allowed ourselves to truly sit down and consider in real life terms before. Before now, there have always been big picture reasons not to move there: jobs, long/hard winters, social climate, jobs, jobs, etc. etc. However, where I'm from is actually a pretty neat little corner of the world. It has its good and its bad, like any place, but the best part is that we would have a network of family/friends close buy. What a world of good that would be for us. Yes, I have good friends here, but none of them have kids and we don't really spend boat loads of time with them socially. So, what we have here is a nice house and full time jobs. Call me selfish, but I want more for us, if possible.
He is going to spend the winter/spring working and finishing his thesis and I another pre-nursing course. At some point between now and the completion of those things, we'll both start applying for jobs and see what happens from there. It could very well result in absolutely nothing. Until then, we'll continue to talk, weigh the odds, and make sure we aren't doing something completely insane.
North Carolina, I still love you. And one day, we'll be together. But I just might have to postpone my visit for a while.
The question we ask ourselves every blue moon is: What's keeping us here? Well, there isn't a whole lot keeping us here in Kentucky. Yes, we bought this house just last year, but its only a house. We could sell it if we had to and we'll make a profit either way, thanks to the wonders of purchasing a foreclosure. Where would we go?
He and I have talked alot lately about how nice it would be to live close to family. With the baby and being practically on our own, dude its hard. Now, he's willing to consider moving close to my family, aka, moving to my hometown. I'd consider moving close to his parents too, I'd like to add, but I have no desire to move that far from my roots (or to the desert). This is something that we just haven't allowed ourselves to truly sit down and consider in real life terms before. Before now, there have always been big picture reasons not to move there: jobs, long/hard winters, social climate, jobs, jobs, etc. etc. However, where I'm from is actually a pretty neat little corner of the world. It has its good and its bad, like any place, but the best part is that we would have a network of family/friends close buy. What a world of good that would be for us. Yes, I have good friends here, but none of them have kids and we don't really spend boat loads of time with them socially. So, what we have here is a nice house and full time jobs. Call me selfish, but I want more for us, if possible.
He is going to spend the winter/spring working and finishing his thesis and I another pre-nursing course. At some point between now and the completion of those things, we'll both start applying for jobs and see what happens from there. It could very well result in absolutely nothing. Until then, we'll continue to talk, weigh the odds, and make sure we aren't doing something completely insane.
North Carolina, I still love you. And one day, we'll be together. But I just might have to postpone my visit for a while.
He/She Who Shall Not be Named
I used to work in a place filled with negativity and sadness. I worked there for about 3 years and then I got lucky and managed to claw my way out. I had to leave a few brothers behind, and they deal with being there very differently. One has the ability to shrug it off (most of the time) and decide not to care. Its a great quality to have in situations like these. Its one that I tried over and over, but was unable to attain. The other friend has been there far too long. The negativity is like a cancer that is deep in his bones. He needs to get out of there like there is no tomorrow. So now lets shift this back to me.
I must confess that I find myself, on regular (sometimes daily) occasions thinking about my former manager. I relive conversations, I have imaginary conversations with my current management explaining why they shouldn't hire this person into this department (just in case, I'll be ready?), I practice my attempt to be honest but to not defame this person or "make it personal." Imagine, if you will, all of the energy that is stolen from me by this inability to shake this persons effect on my life. I don't want to think about this person, I don't want to dream about this person and I sure as hell don't ever want to actually see this person again. Ever. It is extremely rare for me to feel actual hate for someone. Afterall, we're all human and imperfect, right? Everyone deserves a fair shake because we never really know what someone else is thinking or feeling in any given situation or what they have just been through in their personal life. But I feel it and it must be so. I'm a hater and that makes me sad.
And so, for my friends that are still there, I'll do my best to listen and support them in the struggle to find employment elsewhere. And although it always brings up all those old feelings and the hating, I can't not be there for my friends. So, I'll just continue to listen and work really hard at stopping those thoughts and moving past them to the things that matter most. Like playing with the baby, and christmas cookies, and whatever is happening right here and now. And eventually I won't remember this persons dumb face and mannerisms (was that too big of a word?) and not think about him/her at all. Ever, ever again.
Happy Hanukah,
Molly
I must confess that I find myself, on regular (sometimes daily) occasions thinking about my former manager. I relive conversations, I have imaginary conversations with my current management explaining why they shouldn't hire this person into this department (just in case, I'll be ready?), I practice my attempt to be honest but to not defame this person or "make it personal." Imagine, if you will, all of the energy that is stolen from me by this inability to shake this persons effect on my life. I don't want to think about this person, I don't want to dream about this person and I sure as hell don't ever want to actually see this person again. Ever. It is extremely rare for me to feel actual hate for someone. Afterall, we're all human and imperfect, right? Everyone deserves a fair shake because we never really know what someone else is thinking or feeling in any given situation or what they have just been through in their personal life. But I feel it and it must be so. I'm a hater and that makes me sad.
And so, for my friends that are still there, I'll do my best to listen and support them in the struggle to find employment elsewhere. And although it always brings up all those old feelings and the hating, I can't not be there for my friends. So, I'll just continue to listen and work really hard at stopping those thoughts and moving past them to the things that matter most. Like playing with the baby, and christmas cookies, and whatever is happening right here and now. And eventually I won't remember this persons dumb face and mannerisms (was that too big of a word?) and not think about him/her at all. Ever, ever again.
Happy Hanukah,
Molly
Monday, November 30, 2009
Trip Photos!
My baby chillin' at the 89' Ford Escort. Yes, the top of that coffee table is
made of mauve Formica, in case you were wondering.
Left and right views from the dirty windows of our room at the 89' Ford Escort
Dirty window 2.
Me being silly in....
...the cool pod bathrooms at the China Grill in the Mandalay Bay. TV included.
Too bad they were playing shitty music videos. Please note, this was after my very
large drink at the vodka bar.
The view from my in-law's living room. Pitiful, right? But really
the picture does the actual view no justice.
Thanksgiving in the "Great American Southwest", Part Four/Conclusion
Saturday at 9AM was the scheduled departure time at the Resort. Now, I don’t want to be ugly here but let me talk to you about what happened Saturday morning. First of all, Friday night was the first night all week (I believe) that the baby slept through the night. Of course, I was the lucky one to get up with her when she was up and at it at 6AM. Mom and Dad got up around 7 and let me take over. Derek insisted on sleeping “20 more minutes”. Sadly, I let him. Meanwhile packing his stuff, my stuff and baby’s stuff. Sounds pretty sucky, right? Then when I got him up he proceeded to take his time in the shower. I never got to take a shower that morning.
After much ado, we left for Vegas in Mom’s Prius at 8:55. That’s right folks, a compact car with 4 adults and a car seat for two hours makes for a sore ass.
So we get to the airport and find the short term parking after an intense lap and a half. I fucking hate Vegas taxi drivers. Yeah, they see you and they don’t give a shit. So we go inside to check in. We have to check in at the airport because we have to get an infant boarding pass to get through security. For whatever reason, priceline failed to convey our specific order to the two airlines we used (United and Delta, by the way). So we check in at the kiosk and then go to the counter to see about open seats for the baby seat and request the extra boarding pass. The first lady passes us off because we aren’t one the specific branches of Comair that she can service. So we end up down to the next person. I specifically told her that first we needed an infant boarding pass. Then I asked her if there were any open seats on the flight. Honestly, it didn’t seem like she even looked, but she said it was a booked flight. Ok, so now we need to check the carseat. So we tighten all the buckles and loose ends, etc and pass it off. When she handed us our receipts for the luggage, I didn’t see the infant pass. So I asked her again. Now she says it should have printed out with our passes at the kiosk. She didn’t really seem to know what to do so she wrote on the passes. Truth be told she was a real bitch. The end.
And now I’d like to give a California howdy to United/TWA/Comair and United Airlines. Thanks folks!
Mom and Dad walked us to the family line at the security checkpoint. I was sad to leave them behind, but we were ready to be back in the land of grass, trees and brown dirt. Lilly was a real trooper through the whole trip. She took a nice long nap on the long flight to Memphis but things got a little weird on the puddle jumper to Louisville. I dn’t know if I was showing her too much out the window, but she was a little freaked out. She could have just been tired, who knows, but she was super clingy with her daddy. We landed, got our luggage no problem. Derek and I were a little agitated with one another. Just ready to be done. I insisted on driving home. I needed the alone time. Daddy and Baby snoozed on the back seat all the way to Lexington.
When we got home I just got Baby out of the car seat, took her upstairs, changed the diaper, put on pajamas and had Daddy fix her some milk. She sucked down the milk in minutes flat. I gave her a few minutes to relax and then tried to lay her down. On a normal night before our journey, she would lay right down and fall asleep. No crying, just suck the thumb and out she’d go. But now, as I tried t put her down, she wouldn’t let go of my neck and proceeded to scream bloody murder. Daddy and I tried and tried and tried to no avail. I decided to just let her sleep on my belly on the couch, just for that night. The next night was rough too, but we decided that it would just take her a little while to readjust. So we are doing what we had to do months back and let her cry it out. She cried a little less tonight. It’ll just get better, I presume.
Yesterday, Baby and I went for groceries and spent the evening decorating the tree. I’m almost done with the mantle. I’m ready for the holidays, people! Later this week I’ll be trying my hand at a few new cookie recipes. Its on, Santa, its on!
I hope everyone had a nice holiday. Thanks for reading.
Happy Holidays,
Molly
After much ado, we left for Vegas in Mom’s Prius at 8:55. That’s right folks, a compact car with 4 adults and a car seat for two hours makes for a sore ass.
So we get to the airport and find the short term parking after an intense lap and a half. I fucking hate Vegas taxi drivers. Yeah, they see you and they don’t give a shit. So we go inside to check in. We have to check in at the airport because we have to get an infant boarding pass to get through security. For whatever reason, priceline failed to convey our specific order to the two airlines we used (United and Delta, by the way). So we check in at the kiosk and then go to the counter to see about open seats for the baby seat and request the extra boarding pass. The first lady passes us off because we aren’t one the specific branches of Comair that she can service. So we end up down to the next person. I specifically told her that first we needed an infant boarding pass. Then I asked her if there were any open seats on the flight. Honestly, it didn’t seem like she even looked, but she said it was a booked flight. Ok, so now we need to check the carseat. So we tighten all the buckles and loose ends, etc and pass it off. When she handed us our receipts for the luggage, I didn’t see the infant pass. So I asked her again. Now she says it should have printed out with our passes at the kiosk. She didn’t really seem to know what to do so she wrote on the passes. Truth be told she was a real bitch. The end.
And now I’d like to give a California howdy to United/TWA/Comair and United Airlines. Thanks folks!Mom and Dad walked us to the family line at the security checkpoint. I was sad to leave them behind, but we were ready to be back in the land of grass, trees and brown dirt. Lilly was a real trooper through the whole trip. She took a nice long nap on the long flight to Memphis but things got a little weird on the puddle jumper to Louisville. I dn’t know if I was showing her too much out the window, but she was a little freaked out. She could have just been tired, who knows, but she was super clingy with her daddy. We landed, got our luggage no problem. Derek and I were a little agitated with one another. Just ready to be done. I insisted on driving home. I needed the alone time. Daddy and Baby snoozed on the back seat all the way to Lexington.
When we got home I just got Baby out of the car seat, took her upstairs, changed the diaper, put on pajamas and had Daddy fix her some milk. She sucked down the milk in minutes flat. I gave her a few minutes to relax and then tried to lay her down. On a normal night before our journey, she would lay right down and fall asleep. No crying, just suck the thumb and out she’d go. But now, as I tried t put her down, she wouldn’t let go of my neck and proceeded to scream bloody murder. Daddy and I tried and tried and tried to no avail. I decided to just let her sleep on my belly on the couch, just for that night. The next night was rough too, but we decided that it would just take her a little while to readjust. So we are doing what we had to do months back and let her cry it out. She cried a little less tonight. It’ll just get better, I presume.
Yesterday, Baby and I went for groceries and spent the evening decorating the tree. I’m almost done with the mantle. I’m ready for the holidays, people! Later this week I’ll be trying my hand at a few new cookie recipes. Its on, Santa, its on!
I hope everyone had a nice holiday. Thanks for reading.
Happy Holidays,
Molly
Thanksgiving in the "Great American Southwest," Part Three
The week in the desert was excellent. Some annoying things here and there, but nothing really wacky to report on. That is, until the main event on Thursday afternoon.
Mom and Dad (in-law) invited their dearest friends over for Thanksgiving. We will call them Fred and Ginger. They split their year between Utah and Portland, Oregon. They planned well for retirement, as they both had excellent jobs, and live fabulously. Both Fred and Ginger are really sweet, especially Fred, as he seems to be the softy of the two. We all talked about interesting things over wine and champagne before dinner. It was fun, easy going, lots of hugs and kisses on the cheek and everyone loved on the baby. They even brought her a stuffed turtle (wearing a bike safety helmet). Really cute. So we eat dinner, all praising Mom for her excellence in turkey-stuffing-gravy-potatoes(me)-sweet potatoes(SIL)…all that jazz. Baby didn’t really eat much and was pretty fussy. She ended up going to bed early that night. Too bad because she was a real star earlier. But as stars do sometimes, she crashed and burned a little earlier than expected.
So we finish dinner and the party scatters around the house to different areas. Some do dishes, some watch the Broncos game, but I made the mistake of sitting too long at the table. By the end of dinner I had a nice buzz thanks so much to my sister in law who kept filling up my glass (thanks!). I’d probably had 1.5 glasses of champagne and another 2 of red wine. I wasn’t falling over in my mashed potatoes or anything, I kept it classy. But I was vibrating a little and this hindered my ability to make a good getaway. So then Ginger, mom and I are at the table and Ginger starts in on Israel. Time for an aside!
As I’ve mentioned before my husbands family is Jewish. I mention this only because usually, people who are Jewish have very strong opinions about the current state of Israel and Palestine. My in-laws and husband are an exception to the rule. I want to think that when we’ve actually discussed it (not often) that they feel both parties are to fault, etc. Which is also how I feel about it. Back to the story…
So I don’t remember how we got on the topic, but Ginger starts touting “facts” from books she’s read that have to do with how the Muslims are increasing in number around the world at a pace that will have them essentially take it over and wipe out the Jews. She even gave me a year. And she talked about how the current government isn’t doing anything to support Israel (hello, a little early!) and that Obama’s “Muslim background” is leading him to support the Arab states. And how my generation doesn’t understand how dangerous that is. I actually tried to argue with her, but she beat me back down every time. And you know that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you are angry or nervous? I had it. Somehow during the conversation, Mom made a genius getaway (for her, its been there done that). But I was stuck, buzz killed, being talked at by Ginger. That being said, I can understand her passion. She’s Jewish and is obviously a conservative. Her son and his family also live in Israel, so it comes with the territory. Though throughout most of our…her conversation I wanted to run away, I also felt that she should be able to share her opinion about something she is so passionate about. Later in the evening as we said our goodbyes, she said, “I hope I didn’t bore you earlier.” I wanted so badly to tell her that her conversation was interesting, but that she should be more open to listening too. But I didn’t. I just told her how interesting it was. Everyone had pity on me later that evening. Apparently everyone but my husband and myself had sat through that before.
My nerd brother-in-law found online somewhere that the space shuttle and space station would be making a visible pass across the sky at a certain time on Thanksgiving. We all got to go outside and watch it. It was really quite wonderful.
Mom and Dad also have a hot tub, which Derek and I used 2 or 3 times. It was great at night because you could watch the stars with absolute clarity. It was almost as if we were closer to them…well, it was 7000 feet above sea level, so I guess we were. Ahhhh, geography!
One more chapter coming up….maybe with pictures too as promised before. Next, the journey home.
Mom and Dad (in-law) invited their dearest friends over for Thanksgiving. We will call them Fred and Ginger. They split their year between Utah and Portland, Oregon. They planned well for retirement, as they both had excellent jobs, and live fabulously. Both Fred and Ginger are really sweet, especially Fred, as he seems to be the softy of the two. We all talked about interesting things over wine and champagne before dinner. It was fun, easy going, lots of hugs and kisses on the cheek and everyone loved on the baby. They even brought her a stuffed turtle (wearing a bike safety helmet). Really cute. So we eat dinner, all praising Mom for her excellence in turkey-stuffing-gravy-potatoes(me)-sweet potatoes(SIL)…all that jazz. Baby didn’t really eat much and was pretty fussy. She ended up going to bed early that night. Too bad because she was a real star earlier. But as stars do sometimes, she crashed and burned a little earlier than expected.
So we finish dinner and the party scatters around the house to different areas. Some do dishes, some watch the Broncos game, but I made the mistake of sitting too long at the table. By the end of dinner I had a nice buzz thanks so much to my sister in law who kept filling up my glass (thanks!). I’d probably had 1.5 glasses of champagne and another 2 of red wine. I wasn’t falling over in my mashed potatoes or anything, I kept it classy. But I was vibrating a little and this hindered my ability to make a good getaway. So then Ginger, mom and I are at the table and Ginger starts in on Israel. Time for an aside!
As I’ve mentioned before my husbands family is Jewish. I mention this only because usually, people who are Jewish have very strong opinions about the current state of Israel and Palestine. My in-laws and husband are an exception to the rule. I want to think that when we’ve actually discussed it (not often) that they feel both parties are to fault, etc. Which is also how I feel about it. Back to the story…
So I don’t remember how we got on the topic, but Ginger starts touting “facts” from books she’s read that have to do with how the Muslims are increasing in number around the world at a pace that will have them essentially take it over and wipe out the Jews. She even gave me a year. And she talked about how the current government isn’t doing anything to support Israel (hello, a little early!) and that Obama’s “Muslim background” is leading him to support the Arab states. And how my generation doesn’t understand how dangerous that is. I actually tried to argue with her, but she beat me back down every time. And you know that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you are angry or nervous? I had it. Somehow during the conversation, Mom made a genius getaway (for her, its been there done that). But I was stuck, buzz killed, being talked at by Ginger. That being said, I can understand her passion. She’s Jewish and is obviously a conservative. Her son and his family also live in Israel, so it comes with the territory. Though throughout most of our…her conversation I wanted to run away, I also felt that she should be able to share her opinion about something she is so passionate about. Later in the evening as we said our goodbyes, she said, “I hope I didn’t bore you earlier.” I wanted so badly to tell her that her conversation was interesting, but that she should be more open to listening too. But I didn’t. I just told her how interesting it was. Everyone had pity on me later that evening. Apparently everyone but my husband and myself had sat through that before.
My nerd brother-in-law found online somewhere that the space shuttle and space station would be making a visible pass across the sky at a certain time on Thanksgiving. We all got to go outside and watch it. It was really quite wonderful.
Mom and Dad also have a hot tub, which Derek and I used 2 or 3 times. It was great at night because you could watch the stars with absolute clarity. It was almost as if we were closer to them…well, it was 7000 feet above sea level, so I guess we were. Ahhhh, geography!
One more chapter coming up….maybe with pictures too as promised before. Next, the journey home.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thanksgiving in the "Great American Southwest", Part Two
Shortly after watching my baby ride away in a white Prius with my lovely in-laws, Derek and I head off to the Monte Carlo to hang with my sister-in-law and her husband while they check in. In the room we went around and around about where to go for dinner, but the only conclusion we came up with was that we would go get cleaned up a bit and then meet up at our hotel, the Tropicana in about an hour.
Sidebar: Just to give you an idea of what kind of hotel we were staying in, lets think of it in terms of cars. The Monte Carlo is nice, clean and modern. Lets call it a 2008 Toyota Camry. The Tropicana however, is loud, not well ventilated and the decor hasn't been updated since 1989. We'll call it an 89' Ford Escort with about 250,000 miles on it. But the breakfast buffet has really good eclairs. Oh, and this is where Wayne Newton has decided to perform his last shows in Vegas before retiring. Really Wayne? You couldn't find a better place to go out? I digress.
So Dana and Pat meet us at the 89' Ford Escort around 4:30PM. We decide to walk across the street to the Excalibur and start there, then work our way down the strip to the Mandalay Bay so we can check out The Red Bar. The Red Bar is a Vodka bar in the Mandalay Bay, with a communist theme, where the bar is actually made of ice. Perfect for serving vodka. We went in and it was not busy at all. They had some really neat stuff. Next we headed to the China Grill so we could check out their famed bathrooms, which are individual pods that are odly placed at the front of the restaurant. Each has its own TV. Yipee! See my picture below.
The whole evening kind of went like that. Wander here, wander there. We decided to eat at Spago (one of Wolfgang Puck's many, many, many restaurants on the Vegas Strip) which resides in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. We all ate grandly and wandered back to the Bellagio to watch the fountains. Derek was pretty much ready to retire after that. We'd probably walked about 8-10 miles, so we were pretty wiped out. Sadly it was only about 9PM. We realized that we probably should have taken an nap and started later that evening, but hey, live and learn. We had a good evening either way. We saw lots of cool things, weird people, fancy people, homeless people and got to spend quality time together.
So on the very long journey back to our 89' Ford Escort, we have to walk past a huge construction area. This really drunk guy gets behind us and is grunting and pounding on the wooden wall protecting us from the construction. I was afraid he was going to either do something violent or projectile vomit all over us. Derek held my hand we walked as fast as we could, but really couldn't get around anyone. We were stuck. He eventually dropped back. The end. Sleep was interrupted multiple times by more drunk people next door. Constantly coming and going and talking very loudly. The end.
Next morning we decided to visit a few casinos that Dana and Pat hadn't seen before, the Venetion and the Wynn. Both incredible, both sprawling.
Then came the drive to Ivins, UT. See, you have to drive down these long stretches of desert to get here and the wind feels like its going to blow you off of the road. It sucks hard for the first 30 minutes or so. And I don't particularly love my brother-in-laws driving. He's more used to it so he goes pretty fast. I managed to keep my mouth shut and the eye rolling to a minimum. Sometimes I just closed my eyes and waited for it to pass. To get to Ivins you hop on I15 and travel through Nevada, New Mexico and finally into Utah. Its only about two hours. We get off on some back roads for the last 30 minutes or so. This part is pretty amazing because its like driving through mars, interspersed with some old mud brick buildings/homes (western history, people!) and indian reservation land (really poor and depressed). Shivuwitz, I believe.
When we walked through the door my baby squealed with delight...and I cried again. Hey, its just who I am.
To be continued...Pictures up next!
Sidebar: Just to give you an idea of what kind of hotel we were staying in, lets think of it in terms of cars. The Monte Carlo is nice, clean and modern. Lets call it a 2008 Toyota Camry. The Tropicana however, is loud, not well ventilated and the decor hasn't been updated since 1989. We'll call it an 89' Ford Escort with about 250,000 miles on it. But the breakfast buffet has really good eclairs. Oh, and this is where Wayne Newton has decided to perform his last shows in Vegas before retiring. Really Wayne? You couldn't find a better place to go out? I digress.
So Dana and Pat meet us at the 89' Ford Escort around 4:30PM. We decide to walk across the street to the Excalibur and start there, then work our way down the strip to the Mandalay Bay so we can check out The Red Bar. The Red Bar is a Vodka bar in the Mandalay Bay, with a communist theme, where the bar is actually made of ice. Perfect for serving vodka. We went in and it was not busy at all. They had some really neat stuff. Next we headed to the China Grill so we could check out their famed bathrooms, which are individual pods that are odly placed at the front of the restaurant. Each has its own TV. Yipee! See my picture below.
The whole evening kind of went like that. Wander here, wander there. We decided to eat at Spago (one of Wolfgang Puck's many, many, many restaurants on the Vegas Strip) which resides in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. We all ate grandly and wandered back to the Bellagio to watch the fountains. Derek was pretty much ready to retire after that. We'd probably walked about 8-10 miles, so we were pretty wiped out. Sadly it was only about 9PM. We realized that we probably should have taken an nap and started later that evening, but hey, live and learn. We had a good evening either way. We saw lots of cool things, weird people, fancy people, homeless people and got to spend quality time together.
So on the very long journey back to our 89' Ford Escort, we have to walk past a huge construction area. This really drunk guy gets behind us and is grunting and pounding on the wooden wall protecting us from the construction. I was afraid he was going to either do something violent or projectile vomit all over us. Derek held my hand we walked as fast as we could, but really couldn't get around anyone. We were stuck. He eventually dropped back. The end. Sleep was interrupted multiple times by more drunk people next door. Constantly coming and going and talking very loudly. The end.
Next morning we decided to visit a few casinos that Dana and Pat hadn't seen before, the Venetion and the Wynn. Both incredible, both sprawling.
Then came the drive to Ivins, UT. See, you have to drive down these long stretches of desert to get here and the wind feels like its going to blow you off of the road. It sucks hard for the first 30 minutes or so. And I don't particularly love my brother-in-laws driving. He's more used to it so he goes pretty fast. I managed to keep my mouth shut and the eye rolling to a minimum. Sometimes I just closed my eyes and waited for it to pass. To get to Ivins you hop on I15 and travel through Nevada, New Mexico and finally into Utah. Its only about two hours. We get off on some back roads for the last 30 minutes or so. This part is pretty amazing because its like driving through mars, interspersed with some old mud brick buildings/homes (western history, people!) and indian reservation land (really poor and depressed). Shivuwitz, I believe.
When we walked through the door my baby squealed with delight...and I cried again. Hey, its just who I am.
To be continued...Pictures up next!