Thursday Thirteen - Family Trips

Thirteen Things about Mike.... I decided on a pictoral Thursday Thirteen. Here are 13 places I remember visiting on vacations and family trips as I was growing up. Can you determine what they all have in common? The answer is at the bottom. The fort at Saint Augustine, FL Washington, D.C. Williamsburg, VA Jack Frost Mountain Ski Resort in the Pocono Mountains, PA Kennedy Space Center, FL King's Dominion Amusement Park, Richmond, VA Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, VA Niagara Falls, NY The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, VA Epcot Center, Orlando, FL Gettysburg National Battlefield Park, Gettysburg, PA Hershey Park, Hershey, PA Independence Hall, Philadelphia, PA The common theme or element is we never left the East coast of the USA.

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Wordless Wednesday - Six Flags Where's the Boat?

Tuesday so far

Trivia last night... we were in 3rd place before the final bonus and blew it, so we did not place. We did enjoy about an hour with Mrs. Leslie McElhanon, a friend from church and small group.

The question we missed was... in 1989 Sports Illustrated released the 25th Anniversary Swimsuit issue. Who was the cover model? a) Christie Brinkley b) Elle MacPherson c)Kathy Ireland or d)Cindy Crawford

The answer was Kathy Ireland, we said Elle. This was 19 years ago y'all.

This morning Amy made her breakfast casserole and it was GOOD. Eggs, ground sausage, bread, and cheese I believe.

We watched some TV, slept through most of the movie Michael Clayton, and I mowed the lawn.

Now it's a little chill time before a shower and off to work for the night shift.

Ten on Tuesday #13

Ten Great Moments in My Country's History

July 4, 1776 - Deciding the rule of a monarch an ocean away was not gonna work, our founding fathers decided to make this our country.

1860's - A resolute president struggels to keep the union intact. A great price is paid, but we remain the world power we are because of that sacrifice.

Summer of 1969 - Humans land on the Moon, another President with a vision.

January 15, 1971 - Valtool is born

September 11, 2001 - We stood right back up when we were knocked down.

June 25, 1944 - Normandy invasion. The USA leads the allied forces in the invasion of France to push back the German aggressors.

January 17, 1991 - The United States military comes to the defense of the nation of Kuwait to free the Arab nation from the Iraqi army's invasion.

April 12, 1981 - NASA launches the first reusable manned spacecraft, the space shuttle Columbia on STS-1

1803 - The Louisiana Purchase - we buy 828,000 square miles of land for 15 million dollars in cash and forgiven debts.

February 1980 - a group of college kids defeat Russia and Finland to win the Olympic gold medal in ice hockey.

First and Last Meme

Copied from Frigga @ www.anyapples.blogspot.com....


First real job: Age 14 - a Christmas tree lot in Stone Mountain, GA, where I tasted my first beer, a Moosehead which should not be ANYONE'S first beer.

First screen name: fldebfan and or valjean, lived in FL and am a fan of Deborah "Debbie" Gibson and was a fab of Les Miserables

First funeral: Mr. March, my brother's friend's father. I was maybe 8 or 9

First pet: George/Fluff depending on who was calling him, long-haired tabby/persian orange cat

First piercing: One and only one, left ear, 1997, so I was 26

First tattoo: not applicable

First credit card: Freshman year of college, first purchase - sent a girl flowers

First kiss: You know, I don't remember. I can only guess it was my first girlfriend, Kerry. We won't be going there.

First enemy: Scott and Doug, two guys in elementary school who like dto pick on the fat kid.

Last car ride: Well, I usually drive, but I did get a ride home from work today from Amy. I decided to get up and walk to work this morning when it was 69 degrees out. She did not want me walking home in 93 degree weather this afternoon.

Last kiss: Yesterday I think, but in about 15 minutes it will be tonight.

The Funniest Disney Thing Ever

Okay, last month we went on a Disney Cruise. It was our fourth time, but we had never spent much time (basically none) in the sports bar/pub. Fellow cruisers told us we HAD to go to "Pub Night" on the final night of the cruise to see the "show." This is a video of the performance, and you may not believe it is Disney employees or Disney sanctioned, but it is....

Happy Father's Day

To all the dads out there, a happy father's day. My Amy got me something special today, my first Father's Day gift! Granted, we are childless at the moment, but our hope is that LynnMarie will be with us at this time next year. Below are some pictures of my gifts, and I'd like to send out a special Happy Father's Day to Tim and Tymm. Tim is my younger brother, who became a father twice over 3 and a half weeks ago with the birth of his second son, Cameron. Tymm is a friend of ours from church and the international adoption community. Yesterday he and Laura me their baby girl when they made it to the orphanage in Ethiopia where she has been living.

Didja Ever #2?

Did you ever notice the microphones during professional golf on TV?

I have watched a fair bit of golf coverage over the years. I don't obsess over it, but if it is being broadcast and if Tiger Woods is involved, I might watch for a while.

So, Friday night we were watching coverage of the U.S. Open before playing poker and they showed a wider than normal shot of a golfer getting ready to make his first shot on a hole.

The tee box is a flat area from which the golfer makes his first shot, and is marked with colored wooden boxes (about 4" x 4") on the let and the right of the flat area. The color determines who should hit their ball from that area based on gender and skill level.

On this hole, the camera showed the driver and the boxes on either side of how he was lining up his shot. Just to the left of the lefthand tee box there sat (mounted) a microphone (the kind with a fuzzy cover you sometimes see a sound man holding over a person to be out of the picture) and THAT is why the golfer's shots sound so crisp and loud when they strike the ball.

A few minutes later I noticed Tiger making an approach shot (he was on his second shot, about to make one that would take him to the green) and ther behind his caddy was a guy holding a similar microphone.

I had never noticed this before. Was I blind or was the production a little sloppy Friday night? Steven or Jeff?

Something Cool Found on YouTube

Small World

So I go to play cards last night and I am talking to one of the regulars at this game. I come to find out he used to be a member of the Georgia Legislature back in the 80's. We starat talking about the times and what area he represented and it was where we lived back then We talk some more and find out, not only did he live 5 houses down the street from us, at the time, he was the step-father of a classmate of mine in high school.

It's 20 years later and we're playing cards about 40 miles away from where we used to live every Friday. Small world, huh?

Saturday Photo Hunt - Emotion

Niece Janie - either she's up to something, or she smelled something funny.

Samson - he was yawning.

Pixel - he was sweet and innocent at 8 weeks, playing with a dangling toy I caught him looking like he is praying. Nowadays he is preying (a master hunter and the scourge of birds, moles, and lizarss).

Nephew Owen - I don't know what to make of this but I'm thinking he looks like Hitchcock or Churchhill.

Someone else's Bad day at work

On Tuesday I posted about the bad day Brett Myers had as a profesional baseball pitcher. As a fan of the Philadelphia Phillies, I was not pleased with the game. Tonight it was someone else's turn.

The Phillies are in St. Louis for three games this weekend against the Cardinals. Tonight was the first game, and the starting pitcher for the Cardinals managed to get outs against the first two batters he faced. The third batter he faced was Chase Utley (who I think has the coolest name in baseball). Utley hit a home run. Then Ryan Howard came to bat. Howard hit a home run. Next was Pat Burrell. Burrell hit a home run. Ouch, double ouch, triple ouch!

In the fourth inning the Phillies scored 9 runs without a home run being hit. The Phillies pitcher, Kyle Kendrick (sounds like a NASCAR driver's name) had two hits that inning and got an RBI! Pitchers are not supposed to get hits in the NL!

By the time all was said and done, the Phillies won the game by a score of 20-2. This only tied the record for the most runs scored by a team this season. The other time a team scoroed 20 runs in a single game, it was the Phillies (against Colorado).

Now if only the Phillies could get pitching as dependable as their batting.

Didja Ever?

Be aware, the following is a venting of frustration with an annoying individual. The possibility of action as described os 0%.

Did you ever just want to smack someone? Not necessarily hard, but hard might be good. :)

I'm at work today and a ladt comes in who is a 25-year younger version of Magda, the screwy next-door neighbor to Cameron Diaz' character in There's SOmething About Mary. You know, way overly tanned, about the color of bacon, flambouyantly colored sundress, etc. So I helped her yesterday when she dropped off some filma nd today she comes back to pick it up.

She decides she wants to look at them before I ring them up, which is the immediate indicator that she doesn't know how to use a camera and wants the company I work for to pay for her mistakes with the cost of the chemicals and paper. She finds two pictures she does not want, that's one frame of double prints. I go back into the computer to make the adjustment and the price of her job drops, are you ready for this? 14 CENTS!

So I give her a corrected total. After some items she was returning, her total went from $5.45 to $5.30. She looks in the purse for her charge card. Flostered, she resigns herself to cash and says she'll have to break a twenty. Having experienced some form of epiphany, she says hang on and goes for coins coming up with 29 cents and then ASKS ME FOR A PENNY!

I just wanted to smack her. She's so cheap she won't cover 14 cents worth of her mistake and then, even though she has a full $20, she wants me to help her pay just so she won't have to carry some coins around in her gym-bag-sized purse?

Here's the photo logic BTW. If you go into a craft store and buy some paper, paint, and brushes and you go home and try to paint a picture of your cat, but realize you suck at painting, you do NOT have the option of returning the used paper, paint, and brushes. How is this different from the scenario when you shoot a frame of film (poorly) and want a business to credit you for the cost of their paper, chemicals, and labor of their employee?

Friday Feast #47

Appetizer - Do you consider yourself to be an optimist or a pessimist?
It depends on the day I guess, is there such a thing as a nowist?

Soup - What is your favorite color of ink to write with?
Black

Salad - How often do you get a manicure or pedicure? Do you do them yourself or go to a salon and pay for them?
Never. Unless clipping my toenails counts, but that's all I do to them. In that case it's about once every 2 months I guess.


Main Course - Have you ever won anything online? If so, what was it?
My future. I met my wife online.


Dessert - In which room in your house do you keep your home computer?
We have a PC in the spare bedroom/"office" and a laptop in the TV/Family room.

Thursday Thirteen - Tom Hanks

Thirteen Things about Mike I was working on the new template and a commercial came on the TV for Forrest Gump. For lack of anything else, I decided to make a list of thirteen of my favorite Hanks movies. He IS basically the Jimmy Stewart of our time. 1. Forrest Gump 2. Philadelphia 3. Castaway 4. Charlie Wilson's War 5. You've Got Mail 6. The Terminal 7. Bachelor Party 8. Toy Story (and Toy Story 2) 9. Saving Private Ryan 10. A League of Their Own 11. Big 12. Apollo 13 13. The Green Mile

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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News Flash

Coming Soon. Coming VERY soon. A brand new look to Valtool's Box. Alert the media, tell your friends, hide your children, break out the blenders, we're changing our latitudes and credit is due and given to.... The Blog Fairy!

Wordless Wednesday - Doing the Wave

Bad Day at Work

The Florida Marlins beat the Philadelphia Phillies by a score of 5-4 today. For Brett Myers, the Phillies starting pitcher, the day did not start well.

He gave up a solo homerun to the first batter he faced.

He walked the next batter.

He gave up a two-run homerun to the third batter he faced.

Ouch.

Common Sense?

Working the photo lab this past Sunday I had a guy bring in a disposable camera and explain there were a few pics of his lower rear exposed. He explained these were to document bruises and injuries he claims were inflicted by the police when he was pulled over and arrested for DWI and that he resisted arrest. My thoughts were don't drink and drive, and if you do drink and drive, don't resist arrest

Orthodoxy

It is Finished....

.... The lawn, that is. It took just over a half an hour for front, sides and back. Again, all credit and praise to those who developed the self-propelled front-wheel-drive lawn mower. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution website, the temperature in Atlanta is currently 93 degrees with an expected high of 99 today (96 or 97 is the record for the date) and a "feels like" temperature that is currently 104. I have showered. I have roused my wife from her slumber, and we are heading to the pool! I earned it.

Now here's a thought that reflects on laziness (not necessarily mine, but who am I kidding). If we were to devote one hour per day (even on average so as not to have to work it in every day) to working on cleaning or otherwise fixing-up, improving, or maintaining our houses, what would that take.

Let's do the math. One hour out of twenty-four, hmmm, 1/24 = 4.1666... percent.

How can we not agree to give less than 5% of our day to labor around our domicile?

How about less than 5% of our day (one hour) exercising?

How about less than 2.5% of our day in prayer or worship? That's half an hour!

Figure 70% of the day goes to work, getting to work, and sleep (not at work!), that leaves us 30 points for whatever else. 30-5 for exercise -5 for chores, -5 for eating. We still have 15% of the day for whatever else, playing with our kids, talking with our spouse, watching TV, surfing the web... that 15% is almost 4 hours and we still fit in sleep, work, food, exercise, chores and an option for a half an hour of time with God.

What do you think?

(and don't forget in a 7 day week most people have 2 full days off from work, adding 16-18 more hours back into the math)

Saturday Photo Hunt - Runaround

This has nothing to do with the theme for the week, but I mentioned my desire to shoot and post this picture. I don't know much about regattas, but there is a point they race to and make turns around. This plant is Lucy's turnaround when she would do "puppy power" her mad racing laps around the backyard. I decided to take this shot because Lucy died a week ago, and a few days back I looked out the family room window and noticed the plant was in bloom with white flowers. I don't know what type of plant/bush it is, but it was Lucys turnaround and now it is bloom in white like lilies.

Gas

There's a Quktrip across the street from where I work.

This morning at 8:00am - reg. 3.949/gal

At 1pm 3.929/gal

At 4pm 3.999/gal

Sigh

Once an A-hole, Always an A-hole

Is there a 12 step program for personality disorders?

Is the first step to finding a solution simply admiting that you have a problem?

Is there a drug you can take to make you more socially acceptable?

What do you do when you realize you are your spouse's leading cause of stress?

How do you handle situations where you have offended people and you don't know it?

Can you change who you are?

Is it better to remove yourself from any personal interaction that is not absolutely necessary as a standard of daily life?

Certain people actually can make a profit from being an a-hole, mostly celebrities like Howard Stern and Neil Boortz. I actually like Boortz, but those are just two people in a world of millions.

So, any answers?

Friday Feast #46

Appetizer -When you drink soda/pop/coke, do you prefer to drink it from the bottle, a can, or after pouring it into a cup?
Cans and bottles (20oz), a cup is only if it's a 2 litre.

Soup - What television show are you willing to stay up late to watch?
Basically anything in the 10pm hour which for me is ER, Lost, and WWE Raw.

Salad - Name one person, place, or thing you think of as brilliant.
Me.

Main Course - Would you be willing to work 4 10-hour days instead of 5 8-hour days in order to save gas?
Sure, but in my case I work 1.5 miles from home and my wife works 3 days a week (12 hours).

Dessert - If you were a superhero, what would you call yourself?
Fartman, but Howard Stern took that one already.

Thursday Thirteen - Dates

Thirteen Things about Mike Thirteen Memorable Dates With Amy 1. The first one, dinner at Bennigan's, driving around the UCF Campus, a long time talking about interests. 2. Dixie Chicks concert, had her convinced we were going to a rodeo. 3. A walk, that went long, the trail end was further than we expected and it was about 7 miles by the time we finished. 4. Picnic in the city park on the river with the Parrotheads. 5. Tourist weekend to Chattanooga. We went to the aquarium, Rock City, and got a hotel with a jacuzzi in the room. 6. Orlando Magic basketball game with a post-game concert by Avalon. 7. Taco night with my future-sister-in-law and her husband and Charlie the dog (boxer). 8. Wrapping Christmas gifts at Florida Mall with the Parrotheads to raise money for charity. 9. Any movie or dinner at Waterford Lakes where we then went to Petland to look at the animals. 10. Dinner at Tijuana Flats with my future-brother-in-law, Weslry aka DJ Diplo. 11. Universal Studios Islands of Adventure on the same day Amy's cousins were there, and having lunch at the Margaritaville Cafe. 12. Taking the same cousins (Sheena and Danielle) driving around looking at Christmas lights along with their little cousin Andy and going to Friendly's for ice cream when we finished. 13. Looking all over for an appropriate place to have dinner when I returned from a business trip to Missouri and finding our way to the WW II themed restaurant by Orlando Executive Airport where I presented Amy with an engagement ring, and a goofball waiter came up and said, "Did you just get engaged?

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Wordless Wednesday - Rain

Lucy & Pixel

Moving On A Bit

Well friends, a few weeks ago I got in a blogging funk of sorts and I did not post anything new for about a week. Just before that I had advertised a contest here on Valtool's Box and I never got back to it. The goal was to nominate someone you felt was deserving of a prize and I would review the nominations and make a choice. There were a few good ones. I wasn't particularly clear I guess and a lot of the nominations were limited in detail as to why the nominee was deserving, but I found something unique about one nominee and she is my choice.

Verna the Blog Fairy is my winner. The primary purpose is... she was nominated by more than one person, something no one else was! She is a China Mom and does blog template designs to raise some cash, but in the past month, and again for June, the proceeds of her work are going to benefit an orphans charity in China called Starfish. So congratulations to Verna. I'll put together a little prize pack of things we brought back from our Caribbean cruise.

I actually have been planning to talk to Verna about an update to Valtool's Box, but I am having trouble coming up with an idea for a new template, so I will open up the floor for suggestions based on what you know of me from reading the blog.

And finally, for today, a plug. Last night I spent some time with a friend from church who was very excited about discovering the 80's videos on YouTube. Speaking of 80's videos....

go check out Taking You Back at www.rockingthe80s.blogspot.com leave a comment about one you like, make a request or dedication and you might find it on Fridays.

Mystery Call A Reminder

As I was preparing to run a few errands this afternoon, I picked up my cell phone and noticed I had missed a call this morning. It came in at 9:15 while I was asleep. I fell asleep between 10 and 10:30 last night while watching TV and went up to bed around 11:30. I slept until 10:15 this morning, which was good because I was on pretty limited sleep the past two nights.

So I didn't recognize the call. I hit the callback button and was connected to our vet. I explained I had missed a call but I did not know the reason they would have been calling me. The lady who answered did not know either, but then I suggested that it might have been the Emergency Vet Clinic I went to Sunday morning. She realized that was the case and said they were calling to try to verify what Lucy the clinic was calling about.

We had planned to call the vet this week to tell them we lost Lucy, so now we won't need to. We still need to call the doggie daycare facility because the girls who work there know Lucy well.

I'm going back to work this afternoon, for my first scheduled shift since Thursday of last week. I'm still in a funk, but I imagine it's better than sitting around the house.

This morning I noticed two of Lucy's leashes in the trash can. When I cleaned up her stuff on Sunday morning I saved these aside, as a just-in-case. It seems Amy found them and wanted to dispose of them, but I removed the black one. I bought it one day coming home from work when I had to pick up Lucy at Man's Best Friend. It was my preferred leash for when I took her for walks. I want to keep it.

Sunday

Amy got home and we started trying to cope with our loss. She has gone to bed because she worked over night and has to work again tonight. I went to church for the early service. I am glad that I did. The pastor had scrapped his plan to start a new series today and instead focused on the sense he had that so many of us are struggling and hurting. How true for me.



I had the fortune of seeing the Perrys. They had already read about Lucy and they offered me comfort. Their son Sheridan was there too, and when I picked him up he tried to steal my nose!

While driving to church I tried to call my parents to tell them about Lucy. I reached my mom on the way there. On the way home I tried my father again and left a voice message. He called back about 10 minutes later, so I have made it through explaining it to them.

When I got home there was an emptiness.

Usually when we get home from church I enter first and walk down to the kitchen and into the laundry room where Lucy would be starting to stand up and stretch in her kennel, waiting to be let out for the afternoon.

Today there is no Lucy. There is no kennel. There is a space where there should not be and it is not limited to being a physical space.

I regret the times I refered to Lucy as "your" dog when talking to Amy.

We easily expected another 10 years or more with Lucy. She was often a pain to deal with, an inconvenience, an obligation, an annoyance, but damn if I don't miss her already and become more and more aware that I loved her.

Goodbye Lucy

I only wanted to type this once, so it is copied from our family blog.

This morning my our Lucy went to doggie heaven. We knew she was not quite herself today, but her sickness progressed very rapidly. Even a matter of hours would not have helped. I returned home tonight from raising money for the American Cancer Society to find Lucy in her kennel with very shallow breathing. From what we know, she was hemorrhaging internally and we lost her before we knew too much was wrong.

About a week ago I made a post on my personal blog that came across as "hard hearted" in the view of some of my readers. My thought was whatever grief we have to deal with is something God knows about because everything is supposed to be according to His plan. In the case last week, I commented that He will comfort those who need comforting according to His desire and plan, so praying for comfort for someone else was pointless.

Here I am, just 10 days later seeking comfort for myself and for my beloved wife for she loved Lucy as much as any human mother can love her baby.

My heart is heavy because I loved Lucy too, even if there were times I might not have shown it.

My heart is heavy because I had to deal with the physical elements of Lucy's death and the emotion of dealing with the emergency vets who seem extremely cold in dealing with people experiencing emotional trauma and perfectly content to charge these grieving parents exorbitant charges with payment on demand.

My heart is heavy for Amy, for the pain she is feeling and for the guilt and blame she is assigning herself.

My heart is heavy because it was just a week ago that we finally took Lucy for a walk in the National park near our house and we received SO many compliments on how cute and sweet she was.

In my heart I don't know that we will ever own a dog again. Lucy was my first, and I don't know how I feel about trying again. We need some time to heal and to grieve, and I am sorry for the words I wrote last week.

Your prayers for comfort for Amy and me are desired and appreciated.

Right now I feel like drinking, hoping it will ease the pain, but I will not because physically it would be unsafe, and I can't do that to Amy. I just want to say it's what I want to do right now.

Saturday Photo Hunt - Body Parts

My left foot, shot through the water of the Atlantic Ocean on an island in the Bahamas.

Please also visit my 80's music blog where it is Soundtrack Saturday at www.rockingthe80s.blogspot.com.

Beachside Service

Thirteen Things about Mike 1. The number of dogs I have ever owned, Lucy the Basset Hound. 2. The number of brothers I have. Peter is older by 2 and a half years and Tim is younger by 7 years. 3. The number of cars I have owned. I had a 1986 Chevy Cavalier, a 1993 Chevy Cavalier, and I now own a 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee (with almost 185,000 miles on it). 4. The number of types of restaurants I have worked for. I worked for Steak and Shake for about 2 weeks back in the late 80's (burgers). I worked for Hungry Howie's Pizza in the 80's and Pizza Hut in the early 90's. I worked for a Mexican fast food place in Underground Atlanta during my freshman year of college because my friend's family owned it. And finally I worked for Chick-fil-a in Atlanta from 2004-2007. 5. The number of nephews and nieces I have as of 8 days ago! Janie (7), Seth(5), Owen(3), Basil(3), and Cameron (born last Wednesday). 6. The number of countries outside the USA I have visited (Canada, Mexico, The Netherlands (St. Marteen), Jamaica, England, The Bahamas and The Cayman Islands) Okay, that's really 8, but can you count Canada or Mexico as complete sovereign nations? They would not be what they are if not for the USA. :) 7. I think this is the number of times I have seen Jimmy Buffett in concert. When I moved to Florida in 1990 I knew his name and I knew the song Margaritaville, but I did not know the two were connected. 8. The number of first cousins I have. Rick and Chuck and David and Rebekah are all older and are two sets of siblings. Chad, Nikki/Heather, and Geoff and Kristin are younger, a set of 3 siblings and an only child (well she has half-sibs). 9. The number of churches I remember attending long enough to remember (dating back to the 1970's). 10. The number of houses/apartments I have lived in over the course of 37 years. 11. The age I was when we moved from Pennsylvania to Georgia. I never stopped being a Phillies fan. 12. The number of donuts you get in a dozen. 13. The number of books Amy and I have bought for LynnMarie's library by buying her one book each month on the 23rd, her log-in anniversary day.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Wordless Wednesday - Attacking the Green Monster

There is a manly satisfaction in taking care of the yard of a house that you own (and yes, I need to finish painting the shutters)

Achievement - Baseball

This is Jamie Moyer. He is 45 years old and he is a major league baseball pitcher. Last night he pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies in a game against the Colorado Rockies. His team won the game by a score of 20-6. In achieving that victory, Jamie Moyer beaten all 30 teams in the major leagues. THAT is an achievement.

Back to the 80's

We were watching Austin Powers - the Spy Who Shagged Me tonight and we got to the part with Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach. I noticed a store behind Austin named Pauls and supposed it was an omage to Paul's Boutique, the early Beastie Boys album. Then I decided to try to find the Elvis Costello/Darryl Hall duet video for "She's Not the Only Girl in Town." I could not find that one, but from 1986 here is Darryl Hall with "Dreamtime."

Shoulda Had My Camera

This afternoon we tried something new, something we've been remiss in doing for the almost 4 years we have lived in Kennesaw. We went to the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.

We did not see a lot of it, but we definitely plan to return. We decided we wanted to go for a walk and we wanted to take Lucy with us and dogs are welcome there. We met lots of folks who had the same idea including a miniature greyhound, 2 pugs, a poodle/schnuaser mix, and Caeser the great dane. We walked with Caesar and his parents for a good bit.

We walked about 3/4 of a mile on one of the trails and then turned back so we could find some water for the dog. Lucy got a lot of compliments and a lot of people think she is younger than her 3 years because she is not a fat bassett hound.

When we return, I will definitley take my camera, for the dogs and for the nature and for the history. The battle took place during Sherman's march to the sea in 1864. It's an amazing thing walking the trail under the canopy of trees and thinking almost 150 years ago there was a battle being waged right there.

What it's about

This past week was a weird one for me. I don't know if depression is the right word for what I was experiencing. I don't like the idea that I may be clinically depressed because I don't think it is natural that we should need chemicals to alter/correct our mental balance. I don't think that is how God created us. I do understand that mood swings are common symptoms of diabetes, and I have never controlled my diabetic condition well.

I did make the effort to organize my medications towards the end of the week, and I started to feel better both physically and mentally.

On Wednesday my brother's wife gave birth to their second child, a second son. I was excited for them and I was confused and a little upset when I was omitted from the group email that Tim sent out announcing the birth and presenting a few pictures. Intentional or not, I took it as a slight against me. I later was told that I was not included because he did not have my email address handy, which seemed reasonable except that he called our other brother to ask him his email address, so why not call me?

Later that evening, after trivia, we learned about the death of Maria Chapman, the adopted daughter of Steven Curtis Chapman, who is a person who had a great influence on our decision to adopt a child. I wrote a post that came across as "hard hearted" to quote one friend of our family who read it. This post was not meant as a slam on the Chapmans by any means.

I have been struggling with a number of spiritual questions for about 9 months now. Part of my expression of these struggles has already cost me a few relationships with people I would have gratefully called my friends. On Wednesday, the blogging world came alive as news of the Chapman tragedy spread. As a beacon for the international adoption community and as the artist with more Gospel Music Association Dove Awards than anyone else ever, Chapman's loss drew a lot of attention, including calls for prayer in support of his family and I saw people posting prayers, literally typing out their prayers to God in the comment sections of people's blogs.

This struck me as bizarre. I've never been one to pray very much, it is just not a habit I ever developed and as for public prayer, I am really not comfortable. As a result of what I saw and how I feel about prayer I asked why people should pray for comfort for the Chapman family. As I understand it, God is all-knowing and all-powerful. Friends have people at church often refer to God having a plan that governs every aspect of our lives. This being the case, I don't see the point of prayer, and this is what I was lashing out at, people believing that they could have an impact on the healing and the comfort the Chapmans would need by typing words to God and posting them on the internet. In as much as an individual can not stop the wind from blowing, can an individual make God change His mind? If everything that happens in our lives is in accordance with His master plan, than there is no point in petitioning Him to do anything we would like to see happen.

So by Friday I started to feel as if something was changing. I went to work as usual. When I got home we decided that would go out to dinner and it was an enjoyable meal. Afterwards I went to Winston's to try to promote the charity tournament I am helping to coordinate through my work. It wasn't a great success, but I felt good about making the effort.

Nothing important happened yesterday for Amy and me, but in Nashville they held the funeral for Maria Chapman and Amy and I talked about it a little bit more.

This morning I went to church alone. Amy had to work tonight and needed to take care of some things before sleeping this afternoon. When I walked in the doors of the church I heard my name called out and I saw some friends from the local adoption community. I haven't seen the Ladman's in about 4 months, during which time they traveled to China and returned with Micah, a beautiful 2 and a half year old who gave me both a high five and a knuckle bump. The Ladmans actually live about 40 miles away, but came to visit our church. With them I saw the Perrys, with their son Sheridan who is another awesome little guy from China who just turned 3. I loved seeing both of these families. I have missed them.

During the service I was working in the bookstore and I was a little surprised to discover most of the people I was working with had not heard about Maria Chapman. I opened the internet browser on our store computer and showed them the "dishwashing song" video of Steven and Maria and the video posted below this one, for "When Love Takes You In." Watching these videos and talking about this tragedy with these fellow church members and bookstore coworkers brought me to tears. It finally hit home, especially considering the devastation I know that I would feel if something similar happened to me with LynnMarie.

I still have questions regarding prayer and its usefulness as related to predetermination, but I know that standing around that computer this morning my heart softened.

When Love Takes You In

View from Above

Important this weekend and always

Special thanks to Frigga for taking a stand to help educate a neighbor who surprisingly enough claims to be a veteran but said he knew nothing of flag etiquette. You can read about her experience here.

Flag Etiquette
STANDARDS of RESPECT

(copied from www.usflag.org)

The Flag Code, which formalizes and unifies the traditional ways in which we give respect to the flag, also contains specific instructions on how the flag is not to be used. They are:

The flag should never be dipped to any person or thing. It is flown upside down only as a distress signal.

The flag should not be used as a drapery, or for covering a speakers desk, draping a platform, or for any decoration in general. Bunting of blue, white and red stripes is available for these purposes. The blue stripe of the bunting should be on the top.

The flag should never be used for any advertising purpose. It should not be embroidered, printed or otherwise impressed on such articles as cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, boxes, or anything intended to be discarded after temporary use. Advertising signs should not be attached to the staff or halyard

The flag should not be used as part of a costume or athletic uniform, except that a flag patch may be used on the uniform of military personnel, fireman, policeman and members of patriotic organizations.

The flag should never have placed on it, or attached to it, any mark, insignia, letter, word, number, figure, or drawing of any kind.

The flag should never be used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything.

When the flag is lowered, no part of it should touch the ground or any other object; it should be received by waiting hands and arms. To store the flag it should be folded neatly and ceremoniously.

The flag should be cleaned and mended when necessary.

When a flag is so worn it is no longer fit to serve as a symbol of our country, it should be destroyed by burning in a dignified manner.



Note: Most American Legion Posts regularly conduct a dignified flag burning ceremony, often on Flag Day, June 14th. Many Cub Scout Packs, Boy Scout Troops, and Girl Scout Troops retire flags regularly as well. Contact your local American Legion Hall or Scout Troop to inquire about the availability of this service.





Displaying the Flag Outdoors
When the flag is displayed from a staff projecting from a window, balcony, or a building, the union should be at the peak of the staff unless the flag is at half staff.

When it is displayed from the same flagpole with another flag - of a state, community, society or Scout unit - the flag of the United States must always be at the top except that the church pennant may be flown above the flag during church services for Navy personnel when conducted by a Naval chaplain on a ship at sea.

When the flag is displayed over a street, it should be hung vertically, with the union to the north or east. If the flag is suspended over a sidewalk, the flag's union should be farthest from the building.

When flown with flags of states, communities, or societies on separate flag poles which are of the same height and in a straight line, the flag of the United States is always placed in the position of honor - to its own right.
..The other flags may be smaller but none may be larger.
..No other flag ever should be placed above it.
..The flag of the United States is always the first flag raised and the last to be lowered.

When flown with the national banner of other countries, each flag must be displayed from a separate pole of the same height. Each flag should be the same size. They should be raised and lowered simultaneously. The flag of one nation may not be displayed above that of another nation.


Raising and Lowering the Flag
The flag should be raised briskly and lowered slowly and ceremoniously. Ordinarily it should be displayed only between sunrise and sunset. It should be illuminated if displayed at night.
The flag of the United States of America is saluted as it is hoisted and lowered. The salute is held until the flag is unsnapped from the halyard or through the last note of music, whichever is the longest.


Displaying the Flag Indoors
When on display, the flag is accorded the place of honor, always positioned to its own right. Place it to the right of the speaker or staging area or sanctuary. Other flags should be to the left.

The flag of the United States of America should be at the center and at the highest point of the group when a number of flags of states, localities, or societies are grouped for display.

When one flag is used with the flag of the United States of America and the staffs are crossed, the flag of the United States is placed on its own right with its staff in front of the other flag.

When displaying the flag against a wall, vertically or horizontally, the flag's union (stars) should be at the top, to the flag's own right, and to the observer's left.


Parading and Saluting the Flag
When carried in a procession, the flag should be to the right of the marchers. When other flags are carried, the flag of the United States may be centered in front of the others or carried to their right. When the flag passes in a procession, or when it is hoisted or lowered, all should face the flag and salute.


The Salute
To salute, all persons come to attention. Those in uniform give the appropriate formal salute. Citizens not in uniform salute by placing their right hand over the heart and men with head cover should remove it and hold it to left shoulder, hand over the heart. Members of organizations in formation salute upon command of the person in charge.

The Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem
The pledge of allegiance should be rendered by standing at attention, facing the flag, and saluting.
When the national anthem is played or sung, citizens should stand at attention and salute at the first note and hold the salute through the last note. The salute is directed to the flag, if displayed, otherwise to the music.


The Flag in Mourning
To place the flag at half staff, hoist it to the peak for an instant and lower it to a position half way between the top and bottom of the staff. The flag is to be raised again to the peak for a moment before it is lowered. On Memorial Day the flag is displayed at half staff until noon and at full staff from noon to sunset.

The flag is to be flown at half staff in mourning for designated, principal government leaders and upon presidential or gubernatorial order.

When used to cover a casket, the flag should be placed with the union at the head and over the left shoulder. It should not be lowered into the grave.

Saturday Photo Hunt - Shoes

Shoes (to fill) - This is my new nephew Cameron, with his big brother Basil and mom (sis-in-law) Mery. Cameron has some shoes to fill as he has a big brother who is pretty neat and a dad who is pretty cool. Cameron Sebastian Hall Christopher joined the family on Wednesday of this week

Another reason to shop at Target

Teen accused of biting butts at Wal-Mart Suspect allegedly attacked at least 10 women at Lovejoy

Clayton County police have arrested a middle school student and charged him with biting or grabbing the buttocks of at least 10 women at the Lovejoy Wal-Mart.
Capt. Greg Dickens said police believe there are more victims who have failed to report the assaults. The 15-year-old suspect has been charged with four counts of sexual battery and more charges are expected. Dickens said complaints of rear-end assaults at the store began in August and continued throughout May. The boy was interviewed by police Wednesday after a victim saw him with relatives and confronted him, Dickens said

Nothing to say

I am here to say that I have nothing to say. But isn't that saying something itself?

It's been an uneventful week and a half or so. The last I posted anything where I was writing, it was about my mother coming to visit. It was a nice visit, but it was nothing eventful. We had a few meals together and played trivia one night, but beyond that I worked a all but one day that she was here and we more or less sat around that day and watched TV. I am glad she came, and I enjoyed the company, I just have nothing to blog about regarding the visit.

So Mom left on Sunday. I had Sunday off but Amy had to work, so I spent the afternoon playing cards. I worked Monday and Tuesday nights and the past two days I worked day shifts. Work is good. I am still enjoying the new store and today I had a class at our district headquarters about a new program (that will benefit the company, but do nothing but add more we have to know and do in our jobs). On June 9, we are becoming a drop off and shipping location for DHL Courior Service. So you can skip the UPS store and the United States Post Office and Fedex/Kinkos. You will be able to go to Walgreens, get your drugs, your groceries, your diapers, your over-the-counter birth control, and you can ship your stuff (note to Ebayers!).

Last night a celebrity's child was killed in an accident involving a family vehicle, an older brother behind the wheel, and a long driveway where kids were around but not seen by the driver or by anyone else responsible who could have prevented the accident.

This is all over the internet as far as news sites because the father is a singer/songwriter and because he is an advocate for international adoption and this child was one of three that he and his wife adopted from China. So basically, a lot of people know who he is because he promotes adoption, and people adopting internationally are in large part bloggers. To make matters more dramatic, the singer has a current song about savoring the moments with your daughter.

I appreciate the tragedy, but I am not up in arms calling for prayer for the family. God placed the child in the care of this couple, providing the means for them to travel to China 3 times to bring back children to raise. I can't see how the events of last night were not part of a plan He has for this family, so for me to pray to God and say please comfort this family seems a bit pretentious on my part. He will do what He chooses as it was his choice to make this child part of the family and then to take the child away as he did. Anyone who says otherwise has issues with the concept of an all-powerful Creator.

On this same day, Wednesday, May 21, 2008 we had a new addition to my extended family. My brother and his wife welcomed their second son to their family. I found out from my wife and my mother as they received emails about the birth and the name with pictures. When they forwarded it to me I noticed I didn't merit an email and no one I have heard from got a phone call. I can't say what it means. I could have been a mistake, but I was one of the most-interested members of the family, so I don't know what it means that I wasn't sent an email like the others. If you are interested, the baby's name is Cameron Sebastion Hall Christopher, little brother to Basil Alexander Seaborn Christopher.

Even internationally-known DJs need their cereal in the morning. DJ Diplo at home in Florida.

Mom's Coming

It's about 6:20pm here and within an hour or so my mom will be here. This is her first visit to GA since before we got Lucy (the Bassett Hound) and Pixel (my brother's kitten/cat). She'll be with us for 3 days before heading home and we start her visit tonight with a trip to trivia!

wordless Wednesday - Me and the Captain

Krystal Story

In responding to a comment on Jeff's blog, I decided to relate my Krystal story.

"How I picked up a Bridesmaid at Krystal at 2am"

This goes back about 5 years now, I only know because it was before my grandfather died and I still owned my now-stolen Fender Stratocaster.

I had been playing cards at Whirlyball, a game center in Roswell, GA and as I left the game I wanted something to eat. Based on the time, my options were limited, but I like Krystal on occasion and there was one on my way home.

I pulled in to the drive-thru (the dining room was closed due to the hour) and got in line. Behind the car in front of me stood two women, one in jeans and a t-shirt and the other wearing what looked like a prom dress. This struck me as peculiar for a number of reasons including it was late for prom season, the 2nd woman was not dressed up (maybe a chaperone?) and they were not in a vehicle.

As the line advanced, they walked along behind the car in front of me. They stood in front of the speaker box and waited but no one asked for their order. They tried jumping up and down, but could not trigger the sensor in the ground. They walked back to my car and explained the situation.

They were hungry after a late night after a wedding. They walked down from the Holiday Inn on top of the hill behind the Krystal but could not go in because the dining room was closed. They asked if they I could order for them when my truck set off the sensor. I agreed, and rather than try to have both our voices order, and for safety reasons, we agreed they ought to get in my truck with me and we got our orders in.

When we got to the window they paid for all our food and I offered to show my thanks by giving them a ride back up the hill. The hill was steep, it was very late, and the bridesmaid was still wearing heels which would have been pretty uncomfortable to wear while climbing that hill. So we drove up and I dropped them off at the hotel entrance and I went on my happy way home, munching on my cheese Krystals, corn pups and Krystal chiks.

You see, the story is entirely innocent. One person was being helpful to two others, but it sure sounds good when you describe it as "How I picked up a bridesmaid at 2am in the Krystal drive-thru."

Conflict the Sequel - Man vs. Himself

Today it began.....

With a little encouragement from my spouse, my friend, and the guy my spouse knows from college, it began.

I had a dental appointment scheduled for this morning, at 7:30, and they called to say the tech called off so they needed to reschedule. I crashed back to bed and later woke up to check email and blogs and such.

Here's what I found. After a great 5 weeks building up to our cruise, Amy has lapsed as far as hitting the gym and the Weight Watchers thing. I can't criticize because we signed me up for a gym in January and I have been there ONE TIME since that day. Add to this my friend. My friend is April. She has been very public about her desire to improve her health and has been the bravest woman I know who is doing this because she is actually posting her weight publicly, which certainly adds to the accountability. In a similar manner, the guy my spouse went to college with, Steven, is doing the same thing, but he is asking for support from those who will help him be accountable and who may join him (at least online) in their efforts.

So here's the deal. I had some stuff to do today. Some of it was planned, some of it obliged, some of it just needed doing. So, I left Amy at the house and went over to Woodstock in search of a haircut. I was pretty sure there was an old-time, traditional barber shop in downtown, but I found another one very close in, at Hwy5 and Hwy 92. I was a little surprised to find it open because traditionally barbers work Tuesday through Saturday, but it was open and I went in.

The shop is called E's Barber Shop and it just opened in January. It is a simple design with 5 cutting stations and a hair-washing sink, add to it a video game (old school arcade style) and a small flat-screen TV on the wall and the proprietor Jim. Jim is the father of E who is currently in barber college. E stands for Engelbert. Jim owned a barber shop in South Florida for 30 years and moved here because E has provided a grandson and an excuse to head North as Jim is originally from Syracuse. Granted, Woodstock, GA is not Syracuse, but it is considerably cooler than Fort Lauderdale.

For $12, less than the cost of a wash and cut at a national chain, I was advised about what I should try versus what I thought I wanted, and then got a cut which included a shave with warm foam and a straight razor and a warm towel wrap at the end. Guys can appreciate these long-forgotten nuances in the realm of a haircut.

After the haircut I went to the Walgreen's I used to work at to drop off copies of a flier I designed for our Poker Tournament. The tourney is the final incarnation of what was originally a casino night to benefit the American Cancer Society. My old boss, Kevin, is the district coordinator for charitable efforts, and I was helping him find a venue and make it happen.

The event will be on Saturday, May 31 at Winston's, the pub where we play trivia and I occasionally play poker. It'll be a $25 donation to enter, with raffles and door prizes for the players. The bar will benefit from the business that night and we'll likely award extra chips to the players for buying food and drinks during the game. Our top prizes include box seats to a Braves/Phillies game in June (provided by Coke) and a mountain bike (provided by Pepsi).

After dropping off the fliers and chatting with now former coworkers, I went to, THE GYM!

It's been a long time, so I can't hurt myself by jumping in too strong. I did 20 minutes on the elliptical machine (with a 5 minute cool down). The end result was just over 2 miles and about 300 calories. I then worked a bit on 3 of the upper-body weight machines and came home to Amy.

So here's my introductory post on the get-in-better-shape-to live-a-longer-life-for-my-wife-and-my-future-children effort.

Monday, May 12, 2008 262 pounds.
Ultimate goal 210 pounds.
Progressive goal 10 pounds per month on average.

Me versus nature

I remember from school discussing classic forms of conflict. There was...

Man vs. Man
Man vs. Nature
Man vs. Himself
and I think there was one more, but I can't remember it right now, maybe Man vs. God.

This week I renewed my battle against nature in the form of my lawn and property. For the past two years we have paid for a local service to care for our lawn and tend to the bushes and such. The guy we first hired we found because he was doing the lawn next door. He did a good job, but there was something weird about his finances as he had a company name and invoices but wanted checks made out to his name. He lived in our neighborhood, but was apparently evicted from the house he lived in and it was sold at auction. He had moved to an adjoining neighborhood and continued servicing our lawn through Fall of '06.

Last Spring ('07) we went to contact him and found the house he had moved to was gone. The property was overgrown and there were signs that parts of the trees on the property had been charred. Very strange.

So, needing a new lawn service, I knew of another house in the neighborhood where a guy who owned a service lived, so we hired him and he was doing a good job too. Late last Summer he moved out from his wife/girfriend/whomever, but he had a local P.O. Box and continued to work our account. About 2 months ago he left a note in our mailbox to call when we wanted the Spring clean-up. I called about 4 weeks ago and got a cell-service message about the number being unavailable (not disconnected). We tried for about 2 weeks to no avail. We then went on our cruise and decided if we can't reach him, we need something because the yard was getting out of control.

I tried our lawnmower, a hand-me-down from my mom which I had not used in two years and could not get it to start. Rather than attempt repair or suffer repair costs, I decided to shop for a new one, knowing I could return the other one to my mom or otherwise dispose of it. Ultimately though, we would save money versus paying a service and I would get some exercise and be able to take some pride in the appearance of my yard.

So this week I went to the new Sears store that sells tools and appliances only and bought a Craftsman mower with a Briggs and Straton engine and on Friday I came home from work and had at it.

There is a wonderful new thing in the world of mowers called "self-propelled." It is still a push mower, but the engine has a transmission that drives from the front or rear wheels depending on the model and if you grasp a lever on the handle, the drive kicks in making it a TON easier to move over hills and slopes.

The front yard was not bad, and I cut it pretty short for the first cut of the year (scalping is what they call this). The back yard was a jungle! Weeds had sprouted in some instances as tall asa 3 feet high. You could lose a small person back there! Amy was concerned about the dog and the one cat that go out back that they could not "enjoy" the yard with it like that. Happy to say we cleaned up the majority of the trash (plastic containers, pieces of cardboard, etc) that Lucy had taken out back and I had at it. We can now see the entire yard in the back!

Yesterday when I got home I reclaimed a 6 foot section of the fence and part of the house itself that had been overrun by some vines that actually stuck (attached itself) to the siding and to the wood in the fence. In the next day or two (days I have off from work) I'll clean up the garage a bit and take a whack at the hedges with the electric clippers we were given by my father-in-law.

Pictures will come.

Saturday Photo Hunt - Any

From the Disney Cruise Line, Capt. Mickey makes his entry on a zip-line between the two stacks on the ship.

Contest Ideas and 1st Contest Begins

As promised.... Amy and I did some shopping, individually, for gifts to use as contest prizes while we were in the Caribbean last week. My selections include the following, which will be grouped in prize packs for 3 or 4 contests.

3 DCL (Disney Cruise Lines) shot glasses
2 packs of Pirate playing cards from St. Thomas
1 Pirate-themed mouse pad
1 set of Uno cards featuring Disney attractions from FL and CA
1 Plush Pirate Mickey Mouse

The first contest is inspired by Mark Hall, the lead singer and award-winning songwriter of the band Casting Crowns. During concerts he talks about his time as a youth pastor and telling kids two important things.... "You're not cool" and "It's NOT about YOU."

In that vein, this contest is about selflessness. You all have until Friday to submit nominations for people you feel deserve to win a prize because of who they are. Post your nominations in the comment section of this post and I will make a decision over the weekend.

Another contest might feature a caption contest, and I will post a few pictures (possibly to be included in the contest).

Friday Feast #

Appetizer - When someone smiles at you, do you smile back? Yes, can't help it.

Soup - Describe the flooring in your home. Do you have carpet, hardwood, vinyl, a mix? A mix of hardwood/laminate downstairs except for the Spanish tile in the kitchen and carpet on the stairs and throughout the 2nd floor.

Salad - Write a sentence with only 5 words, but all of the words have to start with the first letter of your first name. Mother, may Mary make meatloaf?

Main Course - Do you know anyone whose life has been touched by adoption? Many people including my own. My wife and I are in the process of adopting a baby girl from China. My ex-boss adopted 3 siblings from Ecuador. We know many other international adoptees from China, Vietnam, and Ethiopia. Visit www.thechristopherfamily.blogspot.com to learn about our adoption journey.

Dessert - Name 2 blue things. The text of my answers today and my work shirts for Walgreens.

Quote of the Day

"It's okay to have trees in the wilderness, but not around your property." - Irma Colon during a TV News interview regarding a tree that fell in a neighborhood in NW Atlanta. The tree fell across a road and struck no property.

Thursday Thirteen - Cruising

Thirteen Things about Mike 13 Things I learned or experienced while on the Disney Magic last week. 1. St. Maarten/St. Martin is the smallest island in the world with dual national control. 2. The North side of St. Maarten is controlled by France. 3. The South side of St. Maarten is controlled by The Netherlands (Holland/Dutch). 4. Every time I have set foot on St. Maarten I have left with more money than I arrived. 5. This time I won $255 in half an hour playing blackjack at the Coloseum Casino on Front Street. 6. St. Maarten got its name because Christopher Columbus discovered it on St. Maarten's Day. 7. St. Thomas and St. John are part of the United States Virgin Islands (U.S.V.I.). 8. St. John was a gift to the United States Government from the Rockefeller family. 9. In St. John theye drive on the left side of the road. 10. Though owned by the United States, citizens of the U.S.V.I. do not get to vote in the Presidential elections. 11. Cruzan Rum is made in the U.S.V.I. so if you buy a bottle of it (1 litre) you are entitled to 3 more litres of any other alcohol duty free. 12. On a Disney Cruise you can sign up for tastings of wine, beer or tequila/margaritas with interactive teaching about the drinks from the bartenders. We did the tequila/margarita tasting for $15 each and tried a new coffee-flavored liquor called Patron XO. 13. We did not play bingo the entire 7 -day cruise and we did not miss it at all. We did play trivia a few times and enjoed one round of Disney Tune Trivia where a pianist played a few lines of a song and we got a point for each correct title and a point for naming the movie or attraction the song is used in. I think the maximum was 33 points and we got 19 because we don't know High School Musical 2 or Pete's Dragon at all. Also, if you like 80's music, check out my 80's music blog "Taking You Back" at www.rockingthe80s.blogspot.com leave comments and I take requests for Friday's Long Distance Dedications. Email them to mjchristopher@comcast.net

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Cruise Slide Show