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to know, and maybe even love

Hi folks. I had planned this Monday’s entry to be some kind of triumphant return to blogging, what with us being on vacation all last week and my expectations that I’d not blog much at all.

Turns out I was able to throw something together for four of the five “regular” bloggin’ days – which either is or isn’t bad, depending on your view of getting online whilst on vacation. For me, it’s as natural as reading a book or watching TV, just another vice of the modern-world… so it didn’t detract from me properly vacating. Here, then, is a normal ho-hum Monday post on sounds familiar, the kind you’ve come to know, and maybe even love. For my part, this intro is finished.

On our first day back from Mexico and I had all sorts of things planned: I was gonna finish fixing the fence that blew down eons ago; was gonna go get a haircut; was gonna maybe mow the lawn; unpack; sort through the mail… all kinds of things. Instead, I sat around playing with Keaton and watching TiVo’d episodes of Saturday Night Live. What a waste of a fine day to be outside. (I’ll tell you a secret… if I really wanted to get that stuff done today, I’d’ve done it. The fact that I didn’t get it done just means I never really planned to.)

With the new week, I’m going to do another You Decide Friday poll, where you, my dearest readers, get to cast your vote and let me know what I should write about come week’s end. The rules are simple, vote for your top choice, with the understanding that just because something wins doesn’t mean the other topics are cast away for good – they’re all just binned ideas from my running list anyway. What are you waiting for? Flex your democracy people:

[poll=3]

Wow, a few paragraphs… a poll… not bad for getting a late Sunday night start, eh?

Oh, and guess what? Whipped topping!

I managed to get a respectable collection of images from our Mexico trip up online today, and only one day back from the vacation. I deserve some kudos for that, right? Yeah, I do. Give it up. You can surf over to the aforementioned gallery by clicking right here. Enjoy.

Gonna tack on something that doesn’t really fit, deal.

While we were flying there-and-back for vacation this past week, and in light of all the recent airlines folding and facing delays in financial problems, I’ve come up with what I think is a pretty solid airline bailout or recover plan. Most MBA students know the story about Delta and the three olives, and I think my cost-saving idea may be even more revolutionary than that. Here goes: You know those plastic bags attached to the oxygen masks? The ones that the airline tells you every time you fly “will not inflate, but oxygen will be flowing?” Brace yourself: Get rid of those bags.

Dudes, really. You’re equipping each of your passengers’ oxygen lines with little plastic bags that only cause confusion, as evidenced by the fact that your flight attendants have to explain that, while it’s obvious they aren’t doing anything, they are “working” anyway.

You’re welcome. I just saved you millions on bag-costs.

Oh, nevermind.

Goodnight then.

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before the pesos run out

Hey again amigos. Last full day in Mexico here. I can barely type for my fingers slipping around the keyboard on a sheen of my own tears. Next week it’s back to mowing lawns, conference calls, and e-mails. But, the next couple days… those are still ours.

Yesterday, as I waffled drowsily between some waking and drifting off beside the pool, I was thinking: I could probably conduct the sale of our house back in California without ever even leaving this resort. I could use the fax machine, telephone, and internet to liquidate our worldly possessions, taking care to have our most cherished items, as few as they are, shipped or stored (I mean, I’d need my hard drive of music… after all). With the money from the sale safely in the bank, I could set about finding some beachside accommodations here. Our little family could probably make it without a breadwinner for at least a few years before the pesos run out. Maybe we could even squat in one of the many aborted developments that line the beach just a few miles walk from here… that could save us some rent. Yeah, I think we…

I’m sorry, what?

Oh. Si, si. Uno mas, por favor.

Gracias.

Now, where was I… ? Eh, whatever. I think I’ll join Sharaun and Keaton in the pool; maybe splash Keaton with one of my famous camelballs or something. It was a good thought though…

And, closing out the week, a couple more teasers before I have to do a “right-proper” upload upon returning home. Wish a safe flight, OK (and that our airline doesn’t go out of business tomorrow or anything)?

See you next week (where I’ll also resume my post-accompanying images… the blog feels naked without them).

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quick hits from SOTB

Back from “date night” and Sharaun decided to read a bit, so I, as usual, turned to the soft glow of my laptop screen. Just thought I’d do some quick hits from south of the border.

Keaton’s pool floaty popped. She is still mourning.

People told me not to drink the water. I totally drink the water. Like, everyday I drink the water. No one can stop me now.

Tomorrow dawns day our sixth day in Mexico. Before I left, the ten day forecast for Playa Del Carmen showed rain and clouds every single day of our trip. So far, it hasn’t rained a drop.

The trip to the “off resort” beach today was by and large a bust. Lots of walking under the burning Mexican sun for something we had in our backyard at the resort. From now on we’re sticking to the beaches and pools right here where we’re staying (they’re better anyway…).

Sharaun and I went to some Mayan joint tonight for our date night, then strolled the shoplined streets down by the water. It was a great night out.

Spending all day in the water has done wonders for Keaton’s “socialization” to the stuff. She’s now much more outgoing when we’re swimming, even to the point of wanting to jump in from the deck (only when dad has his arms out to catch her, thankfully though). Back in Hawaii in October, she was still pretty skittish.

Well, that’s about all I’ve got.

Lastly, I’ve been trying not to spoil my post-vacation Keaton-gallery update, so ‘ll only post a couple quick pictures here. These, though, are a couple gems from the past couple days (see, she has more than that yellow bathing suit!).

Goodnight folks. Hasta whenever.

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getting pruny

Hi guys. Had some time. Wrote some blog.

Tomorrow we break the poolside routine and catch a shuttle bus to a local beach for a few hours. Then it’s “date night” for Sharaun and I while the friends we’re vacationing with watch the kids (was our night tonight tending to their brood). The rest of the week looks to be much like the week thus far: getting pruny in the pool or sunning alongside it. Oh, and eating and sleeping… can’t forget eating and sleeping.

Really though, most of my day is spent in the water. Keaton has a floaty thing she loves kicking around in, and I’ve been trying to invent a new game or two to play with her in it each day. So far, we have “spinning,” which is (hopefully) self explanatory; “flying,” which is when I lift her out of the water (still in her floaty), spin her over my head, and then splash her back down again. Today I invented “bouncing,” which is, again, a pretty simple bobbing up and down, and “camelballs,” which is what she calls it when I jump off the steps and splash her with a big wave (I called it “canonball,” the name-change was something she came up with). Like I said, we’ve been getting pruny.

Well, from the balcony, the last bits of sunlight from another day in Mexico are slipping into the ocean, and Keaton wanted to drop into the blog to say “Hi” before she has to go to bed for the night.

Until later. Adios amigos.

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hola amigos

Greetings from the therapeutic heat and humidity of far-from-work sunny Mexico.

A proper pictorial update when we’re back.

Now, though, Keaton says she’s ready to “float” again.

You’ll find us poolside, sans watches and cellphones.

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good to be home

A happy Friday to you, friends and enemies alike. I wrote some stuff again today, and you’re about to read it, I think. Enjoy.

My time in Chicago was short. Not that I wanted it to be at all, let along long… but I had hoped we’d have landed earlier, as we were planning on making the most of the overnight delay and taking the train downtown for some pizza or something. We got in too late, though, and ended up eating a horrible and overpriced dinner at the hotel bar. After which neither of us had the will or determination to stay up and chat, so we retired to our respective rooms (cramped little odd-shaped holes off the main floor that must be reserved for airline comps).

In the end, I made it home and am glad to be back here in the 75° Californian weather with my two favorite girls. Keaton gave me a hero’s welcome, and even colored me a picture as a homecoming gift. Sharaun appreciated the authentic South Carolina grits I brought her, and I was more than happy to change into a fresh pair of boxers. Good to be home.

Now then, let’s close the week “In Pictures” with snaps from my Thursday. You’ll have to live without Friday shots, as my night-before blogging schedule makes that impossible. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and I’ll be sure to do it again sometime sooner than four years from now. For now though, here are some highlights from today (yesterday, as you’re reading):

Well, almost time for me to sign off. I’ll take this chance to remind you that it’ll likely be a bit slow around here next week while we’re all on a family vacation in Mexico. But, however strange it may seem, I am taking the laptop with me – so I could end up posting once or twice if I feel up to it (it’s hard for me not to, being perfectly honest).

Oh, and, just quickly before I go – I wanted to note that I broke 200,000 pieces of blocked comment spam sometime in the past couple days. Incredible.

Goodnight.

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kinda like a wolverine

Happy Thursday folks. I’m writing from a cramped table in an airport terminal (crowded with two laptops, two cellphones charging, and two beers). You’ll find out why as you read on.

Since I won’t be home in sunny California until sometime around midnight tonight, I figured I should go ahead and write when I can. So, here I am, a lull in the second day of this two-day all-day meeting, writing a bit. I have time, actually… at lunch United sent me a text message saying the flight leaving here was delayed by more than an hour, which puts me right up against the connection in Chicago. Looks like I’ll most certainly miss that, and a couple calls to the airline and the company travel agent bore no fruit. So, I’m stuck hopping the flight to Chi-town and hoping for the best on the connection. Since I’m relatively sure I’ll end up missing the connection, I’ve been looking at what there is to do in Chicago. I’m traveling with my boss, so I would at least have an companion to bum around downtown with. We have enough time to get downtown, have some dinner and maybe walk around a bit.

Wait… wait a minute folks… this just in… the BlackBerry buzzed in my pocket. The text message tells me that our flight has been delayed again and missing the connection is now a certainty (I think I know why). Bummer. Now it’s so late it’s not even worth making the flight to spend an evening in Chicago… so it sounds like another evening in South Carolina. Yippee…

Today we had some free time that we used to grab a southern-style lunch and do some walking around downtown Columbia. I had sweet tea, shrimp and grits, and collard greens with pepper sauce to eat. Was delicious, and when I was done I spoke like Foghorn Leghorn for a full half hour. Afterward we walked into the only grits-mill that’s still active in South Carolina (apparently there were forty-one of them at a time). Finally, we drove over to the capital building and walked around the grounds a bit. And, last night on the way to dinner, one of the locals drove me around USC campus a bit. So, at least I got some culture out of the trip. And, being that this paragraph is the perfect lead-in for the Wednesday edition of “In Pictures.” Enjoy:

Transition: I’m going to change styles drastically, one of the negatives of not writing all in one sitting.

On a plane with a full bladder and the seatbelt light won’t go off. Thumb-typing on the BlackBerry, I’m pretty fast now. Finally I break down and just go, I don’t care if my singular rebellion is a catalyst for all-out anarchy or not – I have to pee. Decided to listen to the Wrens album from some years back, don’t know why, other than that it almost always sounds perfect to me. The clouds below is look like a frothy ocean, they often do. They look all pillowy and soft, like we could bounce to a safe landing were we to plummet through them. Guess clouds are a little misleading, kinda like a wolverine (for some reason they look non-threatening to me).

I wonder how many other humans are in the air right now… thousands? Yeah, maybe tens of.

I think can smell my own feet; maybe it means I need new sneakers. Not a stinky smell, something more like sweet; maybe only I smell it. It makes me aware that I only brought enough clean underwear for a three day trip, didn’t expect the extra night in Chicago. I hate reusing underwear.

The clouds broke. I see a big river down there, a factory alongside it, smoke coming from its smokestacks, and some mountains and roads. Wonder where we are? I hate that I’m so bad at geography. Makes me feel ignorant. Like I’m contributing to the stereotype of the dumb American who thinks he doesn’t care about what he can’t see.

From another hotel room, this time in Chicago – goodnight.