In the end, it was a good trip. Per usual, I was nervous being the outsider on that first day (as I’ve already explained). Some of my first impressions were not as good as I had hoped, but in hindsight I can’t discount the fact that my somewhat aloof manner contributed.
The second day left me with much more favorable impressions. During the discussions I overcame my fear of speaking…
Dinner and a movie; sometimes that is all the difference between a day you were ready to forget and a day that doesn’t seem so bad after all. Next time you’re feeling the weight of woe just hop in your car, put on some good music, get something you like to eat, buy yourself a new little toy, and watch a good movie. (Just remember, when you’re out spending your money……
It is never easy to join a discussion as an outsider. Everyone in the group knows each other but you. You feel left out. You don’t get all of the inside jokes. You don’t understand the references to past experiences. No one leans in and whispers conspiratorially in your ear. Being shy, I don’t tend to go out of my way to place myself in these types of situations. Call it a…
So there I was, holding a sealed container in the front passenger seat of our car, as my wife drove the last leg of our journey home. Supporting the bottom of the thin plastic container with both hands, I could feel the warm contents gently sloshing about to the rhythm of the highway. Just moments before, my daughter had gotten sick in the car, the second time she had such a bout of illness on…
At the risk of having to give up my key to the men’s room, I have something to admit. It turns out I didn’t have a friggin’ clue where I really was. It all started innocently enough. I was looking to improve on my last bicycle ride in New Orleans, which now holds the title “least scenic ride of my life.” I was also looking to ride a route I hadn’t taken before.
If you are ever in the market for property in New Orleans, beware of the term “waterfront.” I’ve taken two lovely rides through uptown New Orleans so far this week. Riding under a canopy of old growth trees, past the old restored homes was absolutely fabulous. Having taken essentially the same route twice I was looking for a little variety, so I went off towards the river this…
I woke up earlier than expected on our first morning in New Orleans and immediately did something new, I spilled an entire bowl of cereal on my sister’s kitchen floor. I would like everyone to know that the WORST thing to do in this situation is try and burn away the cereal with an acetylene torch. Somewhere, not too far down that list, you’ll find “vacuuming the cereal with an…
It had all the makings of a great entry. Beth had been asking “are we there yet?” from New Port Richey to the Alabama/Mississippi border. Then she got out a movie and stopped. We made it through Mississippi and she didn’t ask. We made it into Louisiana and she didn’t ask. We made it across the Lake and she didn’t ask. I was ready to write all about Beth asking that…
I have always been fascinated with kayaking. I have no idea why. I have never been a particularly big fan of other rowing activities, and canoeing seems just plain wrong. But then there’s the kayak… sleek, low to the water, and sporty. A week ago I got to try out a kayak for the first time. I was in a two person kayak with my brother in law. We were down visiting with my sister and his…
On the road to Sarasota, we struggle to learn the lesson of sharing with others. There is one DVD player with sound system in the car. The adults want to talk. The child wants to watch a movie. The person that fits somewhere in between wants to listen to iTunes. The child doesn’t like to watch movies with distractions. The ‘tweener doesn’t want to listen to any of the above.