So between a busy week at work, starting our next IVF cycle, preparing for my cousin's wedding on Saturday in Oregon, and Superbowl fever, I'm totally unprepared for my birthday on Sunday. It's not an unsignificant birthday, either. I'm turning 35. As it stands we'll be flying home and heading to some friends' for the tail end of a Superbowl party.
My doll of a spousal unit is insisting on celebrating next weekend when we don't have so much going on.
I asked for a Wii for my birthday, but there are none to be found. Rats! Seems I'll have to settle for an iPod Shuffle, which will be perfect for skiing and working out.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Where's Leta Lynn?
On Sunday, Jan. 13th while in St. Maarten, the spousal unit and I supped at a delightful little outdoor pizza parlour called Mama Pizza. This place was very near our hotel and just on the French side of the island.
A trio at an adjacent table was engaged in an animated conversation. There was a man of German descent in his mid-to-late 40s, sporting a muscle shirt, camouflage cargos, and a rockin' Scorpions hairdo. A woman of about the same age had a wicked Long Island accent. The third member of the party was an elderly woman who spoke little.
As bits of their conversation drifted over we were able to determine that they were searching for someone. It sounded like a crime had been committed. Furthermore, they had been showing pictures around the hotel we were staying at, trying to locate a woman. Somebody said, "she's done this before". Then the woman kept saying that she wanted the police to use K9s. The man complained that the police were focusing too much on "building a case against him" and not enough on "finding her."
As morbid as it sounds, we were highly intrigued. During dinner I exchanged raised eyebrows with a woman at another table. She was clearly interested too. Back at our hotel, we searched for more clues to what was going on but found none. It felt as if we'd turned on a movie partway in and didn't get to see the ending.
Upon returning home, I enlisted my pal Google and found a St. Maarten news website. It turns out that Leta Lynn Cordes went missing on January 11th. She hasn't been found.
I'm really suprised this hasn't gotten more media coverage. Usually it's pretty big news when an American goes missing abroad. I hope they find her soon for the poor family's sake.
A trio at an adjacent table was engaged in an animated conversation. There was a man of German descent in his mid-to-late 40s, sporting a muscle shirt, camouflage cargos, and a rockin' Scorpions hairdo. A woman of about the same age had a wicked Long Island accent. The third member of the party was an elderly woman who spoke little.
As bits of their conversation drifted over we were able to determine that they were searching for someone. It sounded like a crime had been committed. Furthermore, they had been showing pictures around the hotel we were staying at, trying to locate a woman. Somebody said, "she's done this before". Then the woman kept saying that she wanted the police to use K9s. The man complained that the police were focusing too much on "building a case against him" and not enough on "finding her."
As morbid as it sounds, we were highly intrigued. During dinner I exchanged raised eyebrows with a woman at another table. She was clearly interested too. Back at our hotel, we searched for more clues to what was going on but found none. It felt as if we'd turned on a movie partway in and didn't get to see the ending.
Upon returning home, I enlisted my pal Google and found a St. Maarten news website. It turns out that Leta Lynn Cordes went missing on January 11th. She hasn't been found.
I'm really suprised this hasn't gotten more media coverage. Usually it's pretty big news when an American goes missing abroad. I hope they find her soon for the poor family's sake.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Heard while in the islands
"You two don't have an American accent. You sound like Canadians."
I don't know what the hell they were talking aboot. I don't sound like no Canadian, eh!
I don't know what the hell they were talking aboot. I don't sound like no Canadian, eh!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Vacay-fun
Hello friendly readers. Time for my overdue vacation recollections.
Man, coming back to single digit temperatures from being in the 80s all week suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks. Would someone please remind me why I live somewhere that's so cold in the wintertime? Though there are others who have it worse. Did you watch the Green Bay-NY game on Sunday? Those guys looked truly miserable. I felt especially bad for the benchwarmers. Some of those fellas make less than I do (OK, but I don't get 6 months off a year), and the bench heaters were said to be broken.
Now...Sint Maarten/Saint-Martin.
Not a particularly large island, but big enough to explore. It's half Dutch, where they speak English and spend US dollars, and half French, where they speak French and English and spend euros. Lucky for us, many of the businesses on the French side offered a 1/1 euro to dollar exchange rate.
The Dutch side was being heavily developed. Lots of hotels, condos, and multimillion dollar homes going up. Our hotel, on the Dutch side but just a stone's throw away from the French border, was brand new.
The French side was much more rural. Its towns were more quaint. All the topless sunbathers were on the French side too. We spent an afternoon at Orient Beach, which is what I picture St. Barth's to look like (sorry Chelene, we didn't make it over :( ) with its colorful houses. we got the best service of the trip at one of the restaurants on this side, belying the French waiter stereotype. I think if we go back, we'll stay on the French side. Perhaps here?
Big disappointment? The casinos. We like to play poker, and we couldn't find a decent game. Aruba's casinos were much more fun.
We had great fun driving around the island in our rented beat-up Jeep Wrangler. I'm still fighting with Hertz about paying to replace a bald tire that blew out when we hit a pothole.
While dining one night, we were privvy to some details in a missing persons case. More about that next post.
And finally - scuba. I'm a certified open water diver! It was so much fun. Makes the whole not getting pregnant thing much less of a bummer. We saw eels, octopi, stingrays, and lots of gorgeous fish. The spousal unit is totally hooked - he wants to take classes to become a divemaster. Perhaps he could support us in a move to the islands?
Man, coming back to single digit temperatures from being in the 80s all week suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks. Would someone please remind me why I live somewhere that's so cold in the wintertime? Though there are others who have it worse. Did you watch the Green Bay-NY game on Sunday? Those guys looked truly miserable. I felt especially bad for the benchwarmers. Some of those fellas make less than I do (OK, but I don't get 6 months off a year), and the bench heaters were said to be broken.
Now...Sint Maarten/Saint-Martin.
Not a particularly large island, but big enough to explore. It's half Dutch, where they speak English and spend US dollars, and half French, where they speak French and English and spend euros. Lucky for us, many of the businesses on the French side offered a 1/1 euro to dollar exchange rate.
The Dutch side was being heavily developed. Lots of hotels, condos, and multimillion dollar homes going up. Our hotel, on the Dutch side but just a stone's throw away from the French border, was brand new.
The French side was much more rural. Its towns were more quaint. All the topless sunbathers were on the French side too. We spent an afternoon at Orient Beach, which is what I picture St. Barth's to look like (sorry Chelene, we didn't make it over :( ) with its colorful houses. we got the best service of the trip at one of the restaurants on this side, belying the French waiter stereotype. I think if we go back, we'll stay on the French side. Perhaps here?
Big disappointment? The casinos. We like to play poker, and we couldn't find a decent game. Aruba's casinos were much more fun.
We had great fun driving around the island in our rented beat-up Jeep Wrangler. I'm still fighting with Hertz about paying to replace a bald tire that blew out when we hit a pothole.
While dining one night, we were privvy to some details in a missing persons case. More about that next post.
And finally - scuba. I'm a certified open water diver! It was so much fun. Makes the whole not getting pregnant thing much less of a bummer. We saw eels, octopi, stingrays, and lots of gorgeous fish. The spousal unit is totally hooked - he wants to take classes to become a divemaster. Perhaps he could support us in a move to the islands?
Monday, January 07, 2008
A train wreck I couldn't avoid
Saturday while on the way to pick up some Gatorade to keep by the pool during our scuba lessons (These regulators are making me thirsty!), I heard a stupefying report on the radio that said that Britney may be moving to Denver.
First of all, I don't buy it. If she was serious enough to move in with this John Sundahl character we'd have seen a picture of the guy on The Superficial. And you'd also have to believe that the girl wants out of the limelight for awhile. Nuh uh.
But if it were to really transpire, I do have to say I wouldn't mind seeing a bit of that crazy in the flesh. The snooty folks in that neigbhorhood will be seriously pissed to be invaded by paparazzi. And I'd pay money to watch the girl try to drive, hold the baby, and text in one of our snowstorms.
UPDATE: I Googled this guy, and I have seen a pic of him on The Superfish. But I still don't buy it.
First of all, I don't buy it. If she was serious enough to move in with this John Sundahl character we'd have seen a picture of the guy on The Superficial. And you'd also have to believe that the girl wants out of the limelight for awhile. Nuh uh.
But if it were to really transpire, I do have to say I wouldn't mind seeing a bit of that crazy in the flesh. The snooty folks in that neigbhorhood will be seriously pissed to be invaded by paparazzi. And I'd pay money to watch the girl try to drive, hold the baby, and text in one of our snowstorms.
UPDATE: I Googled this guy, and I have seen a pic of him on The Superfish. But I still don't buy it.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Fun for some
Obedience training taught us to flip Sasha over on her back when she starts getting uppity as a dominance exercise. As you can see, Ripley and Roscoe find the concept pretty entertaining.
Sasha is not quite so amenable.
Sasha is not quite so amenable.
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