Hi,
Yesterday I rediscovered that I am really,and truly, a Pool Princess.
Some how, along the way, I must have misplaced my tiara and ermine cape but it has been returned and I am back in the swing of things.
I spent the morning teaching swimming so you would think that my water royalty position would have been securely in place, but it wasn't until I joined my subjects, outside by the water slide that I regained my kingdom. I was with my people and all was fine in the glorious region of sunshine and sun screen.
The club where I teach swimming added a 4 acre 'water park' to the property this summer. I have been avoiding it. I can't sit in the sun any more, it is full of slides, spraying fountains, dumping water buckets and screaming children so there is no attraction for me to spend time there.... But my friend, Angela, asked if I could get her and her two boys in for the day so I was happy to oblige. It is bloody expensive to bring guests in, but they have been running an employee special for reduced guests' rates this month making the fee almost reasonable.... If you consider $20/adult and $10/child 'a bargain'. The regular fee is $30/adult and $20/child.... And people have been gladly paying it!
After I finished my lessons indoors I ventured out to join Angela and her boys. They were having lunch by the pool at the outdoor restaurant, also part of this new addition. It is also not cheap dining but the food was good and then the guys were off, back in the pool and we went to sit in the shade. It was fun just to sit outside and gab, the afternoon disappearing as kids played. The chaos of the water park seemed almost manageable since I don't have to deal with it, Brandi, my aquatic director boss, does.... And she does it excellently. Even when an older woman slipped and cracked her head open in the zero-entry pool (I have no idea how she did that trick), bleeding all over the place causing Brandi to have to shut down the water activities, the place was calm and organized. The life guards got everyone out of the water, EMT's were called, first aid was administered and the whole place was back in the swing of things in 20 minutes. The down time of the closed pool was spent reapplying sunscreen and buying flavored Sno-cones at $2 a pop. This place is a money-making machine!
Then there is the bar. There is a pool for the "21 and older" crowd that has luxury lounges, a hot tub, pool and the all important bar. As I left, Angela and her girlfriend were contemplating how long they should wait before ordering margaritas and martinis..... Is 3:00 too early to start the party? Husbands were showing up later to meet up with everyone. Waiting would be so much nicer with a cool, bright colored drink in their hands. I could hear the cash register chiming in the background. It was time to wave at my subjects and depart the sunburnt crowds. I was done for the day.
It was lovely sitting by an outdoor pool again. I used to have a great time in Fort Wayne when we had a pool in the complex we lived in. I didn't realize how much I missed the smell of evaporating chlorine and the noise of splashing kids. I will be back to reign again over my subjects and domain.... Ear plugs in hand next time.
Xox
M
Day Lily!
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
Litter Demons
Hi,
We live on a lovely street. It is tree lined and dotted with grand homes. It is a quiet neighborhood and we love it. What we don't love are the pigs who think they can drive by and dump their trash out their car windows onto our lawn.
Why?
Why do they think that the world is their garbage can?
Why don't they dispose of their trash in a proper fashion, in their own disposal units at home?
Why do I have to clean up their mess?
We have come up with a great solution, all I need is my engineer husband to build it.
We need a camera at the end of our driveway to catch the license plate numbers as trash offenders drive by and dump on our lawn. Then, as their car is caught on video, the fun begins. They trigger a paintball gun to release as they drive away, leaving them with a reminder that every action has a reaction... You splash our property with refuse, we splash your car with a paintball parting party favor.... With any luck it leaves a dent or cracks a window too. Just a little reminder that you need to be respectful of others or pay the consequences. Last, but not least, the ticket arrives in the mail with a hearty fine for littering the streets of Yardley, PA.
We hope to patent the whole process.... Clean up the litterers and their debris plus help the township make a little cash on the whole thing. I think it's a win-win idea all around.
I bet we can sell a million of them too!
Xox
M
We live on a lovely street. It is tree lined and dotted with grand homes. It is a quiet neighborhood and we love it. What we don't love are the pigs who think they can drive by and dump their trash out their car windows onto our lawn.
Why?
Why do they think that the world is their garbage can?
Why don't they dispose of their trash in a proper fashion, in their own disposal units at home?
Why do I have to clean up their mess?
We have come up with a great solution, all I need is my engineer husband to build it.
We need a camera at the end of our driveway to catch the license plate numbers as trash offenders drive by and dump on our lawn. Then, as their car is caught on video, the fun begins. They trigger a paintball gun to release as they drive away, leaving them with a reminder that every action has a reaction... You splash our property with refuse, we splash your car with a paintball parting party favor.... With any luck it leaves a dent or cracks a window too. Just a little reminder that you need to be respectful of others or pay the consequences. Last, but not least, the ticket arrives in the mail with a hearty fine for littering the streets of Yardley, PA.
We hope to patent the whole process.... Clean up the litterers and their debris plus help the township make a little cash on the whole thing. I think it's a win-win idea all around.
I bet we can sell a million of them too!
Xox
M
Friday, August 2, 2013
birthdays
hi,
Birthdays always seem to sneak up on you. One minute you are gently rolling along at a certain age, then "BAM", you are one year older. You probably don't feel any different and you try to tell yourself 'it's just a number' but that doesn't seem to lessen the burden of the addition to your ticking metronome.
I like my birthday.
As a kid we always had small parties to celebrate. I got to invite 4 or 5 friends over for lunch (we walked home from school for lunch every day). My mother would make my favorite rolled party sandwiches, some with tuna, some with egg salad, little gherkin pickles in the middle. Store bought birthday cake with crappy, sugary icing, even though my mom could bake something better from scratch, it wasn't "special" if it didn't have fancy flowered icing on top. After lunch I got to open my presents from my friends and family. Sometimes I thought the presents were exactly what I wanted, other times not so much.... One special gift was an autograph book. I forget who gave it to me but I thought it was so cool. Who's autograph was I going to get in Toronto in 1966? Who cared, I got all my teachers and classmates to sign it and was delighted with my collection. Walking back to school with my friends from birthday lunch was usually the best part. We were saturated with food and drink (real chocolate milk causes such a sugar rush), ready to run around the play yard before crashing out half way through the afternoon class. Now that's what I call a 'birthday bash'!
This year my special party was with my family in Toronto. It was my first birthday that my mom didn't call to say 'happy birthday' and send me a gift. I got 53 birthdays with her and I think that is great. I'm sorry she isn't going to make the parties anymore. She loved creating a big to-do about everyone's birthday. It's no longer about the gifts you receive but about marking the passing of time together.... And that's better than having an autograph book any day.
Another year and still counting.
Xox
M
Birthdays always seem to sneak up on you. One minute you are gently rolling along at a certain age, then "BAM", you are one year older. You probably don't feel any different and you try to tell yourself 'it's just a number' but that doesn't seem to lessen the burden of the addition to your ticking metronome.
I like my birthday.
As a kid we always had small parties to celebrate. I got to invite 4 or 5 friends over for lunch (we walked home from school for lunch every day). My mother would make my favorite rolled party sandwiches, some with tuna, some with egg salad, little gherkin pickles in the middle. Store bought birthday cake with crappy, sugary icing, even though my mom could bake something better from scratch, it wasn't "special" if it didn't have fancy flowered icing on top. After lunch I got to open my presents from my friends and family. Sometimes I thought the presents were exactly what I wanted, other times not so much.... One special gift was an autograph book. I forget who gave it to me but I thought it was so cool. Who's autograph was I going to get in Toronto in 1966? Who cared, I got all my teachers and classmates to sign it and was delighted with my collection. Walking back to school with my friends from birthday lunch was usually the best part. We were saturated with food and drink (real chocolate milk causes such a sugar rush), ready to run around the play yard before crashing out half way through the afternoon class. Now that's what I call a 'birthday bash'!
This year my special party was with my family in Toronto. It was my first birthday that my mom didn't call to say 'happy birthday' and send me a gift. I got 53 birthdays with her and I think that is great. I'm sorry she isn't going to make the parties anymore. She loved creating a big to-do about everyone's birthday. It's no longer about the gifts you receive but about marking the passing of time together.... And that's better than having an autograph book any day.
Another year and still counting.
Xox
M
A Rod
Hi,
This evening my husband met fame, he shook the hand of Alex Rodriguez.
ARod played in Trenton, NJ tonight with the Trenton Thunders. Being on the disabled list has him bumped down to the minors until he is healed from his hip surgery. This is a minor problem compared to his possible suspension or permanent banishment from Major League Baseball. If you have been living under a rock lately, Alex is under the magnifying glass over steroid taking and could become the poster child for punishment due to doping.... Never the less, the stands were packed in Trenton tonight.
Most of the fans who came out were happy to see him and cheered his presents. There were a few, two in particular who sat right behind us, who booed as loudly as they could when he hit the field. It takes all kinds. We got to see ARod hit a home run, and strike out, but mostly we got to see him hold his head up, face his fans, sign a lot of autographs and look like he owned third base again.
Just before they pulled him out of the game he walked down toward our seats, we were 7 rows from the front, just past first base. Marshall jumped up and went to shake his hand. He got to Alex as a rush of fans came to get his picture and autograph on balls, shirts and caps but was able to get his hand into Alex's before the onslaught. Young and old alike all clamored for attention and Alex graciously dealt with it all as best he could. Then he was gone to the back and his time in the game was done for the night.
I think this was the best $12 ticket Marshall ever invested in. He came back to his seat grinning ear to ear. Mission accomplished. We came, we saw, we didn't get hit by a fly ball, we left happy.
Baseball been berry berry good to me....
Xox
M
This evening my husband met fame, he shook the hand of Alex Rodriguez.
ARod played in Trenton, NJ tonight with the Trenton Thunders. Being on the disabled list has him bumped down to the minors until he is healed from his hip surgery. This is a minor problem compared to his possible suspension or permanent banishment from Major League Baseball. If you have been living under a rock lately, Alex is under the magnifying glass over steroid taking and could become the poster child for punishment due to doping.... Never the less, the stands were packed in Trenton tonight.
Most of the fans who came out were happy to see him and cheered his presents. There were a few, two in particular who sat right behind us, who booed as loudly as they could when he hit the field. It takes all kinds. We got to see ARod hit a home run, and strike out, but mostly we got to see him hold his head up, face his fans, sign a lot of autographs and look like he owned third base again.
Just before they pulled him out of the game he walked down toward our seats, we were 7 rows from the front, just past first base. Marshall jumped up and went to shake his hand. He got to Alex as a rush of fans came to get his picture and autograph on balls, shirts and caps but was able to get his hand into Alex's before the onslaught. Young and old alike all clamored for attention and Alex graciously dealt with it all as best he could. Then he was gone to the back and his time in the game was done for the night.
I think this was the best $12 ticket Marshall ever invested in. He came back to his seat grinning ear to ear. Mission accomplished. We came, we saw, we didn't get hit by a fly ball, we left happy.
Baseball been berry berry good to me....
Xox
M
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