Just A Thought

I know I have not posted in a while, but I have not been inspired. I was not sure if people wanted to read about potty training a puppy and said puppy eating its own poo..... I am not sure I want to experience it myself!!

I was inspired a little bit this weekend by my trip to the grocery store. I know you may be thinking "how can a trip to the grocery store be better then a poo-eating puppy?"

My thought is this... shopping carts! How is it that in this day in age, when we have cell phones that can do everything but cook us a meal, is it that we cant get a shopping cart that has good wheels! Seriously..... I always end up with the cart that has the squeakiest wheel, or the wheel that does not turn (??) or the wheels that rattle more then an angry rattle snake. How is it that no one has come up with an invention to keep wheels operating properly? We can put a man on the moon, use a device to get us anywhere we want to go, talk to our cars thru On-Star and watch tv on our phones. And yet, every time I go to the grocery store, or Wal Mart for that matter, I get the cart that draws the most attention with the antics of its wheels.
Maybe one day I will be able to shop in peace with a quiet cart so I can talk on my phone, while I watch tv & surfing the internet on the phone and bump into anyone who gets in my way at the grocery store!

Oh, and any suggestions on stopping the poo eating are welcome!

Can You Call This Babysitting??

On Monday my sister called and asked if I would babysit my 8 y/o nephew for a few hours. He was off from school and my sister had to go to work for a little bit. She roped me in with a small guilt trip, something to the effect of, "You say you want to spend more time with him, here is your chance!" How could I say no to that.

I had it all planned. Cool Aunt Tracey would show up with lunch from Burger King and then we would play some games, maybe go outside to ride his bike and "hang out". Silly me for not remembering what millennium we are in!!

Much to my dismay, there was no "bonding" time in the true sense of the word. the only bonding that was going to take place was between my nephew and the Play Station and Nintendo DS!! I am convinced that the video games were the "babysitters" and I was just an "afterthought", there for legal purposes only. We wouldn't want my sister to be arrested for child neglect, now would we! :)

A New Puppy!! (or.... buying stock in papertowels & cleaners!)

I finally have something fun to blog about! I got a puppy for Christmas! Ok, I know Christmas is not technically here yet, but she could not be left in the box until then....... She is a West Highland White Terrier and is soooooo cute! Her name is Noelle and she was born on 10/30/08. Now I know more then a few of you out there are thinkning that I travel too much for a puppy and you may be right. However, I know my travel destinations for the entire year of 2009 so I can plan accordingly to not be away, say 4 weeks in a row! AND Noelle comes with a dog sitting promise for when I am away, so don't worry about that detail.

Noelle is still a baby and is not housebroken yet, and she is teething. Oh so fun. This is definately the hardest time, so I am glad that I am home for almost the next FIVE WEEKS (except for one overnight). This will be good for both me and Noelle.

I am sure I will have many "tails" to tell, so stay tuned!

Merry Christmas to all!!!

Onions on a Plane....

Last week I traveled to Oregon. This is a 6 hour plane ride. I was lucky enough to get a "straight through" flight. These days, as I am sure you all know, there is nothing free on a plane, except maybe the toilet paper! Since the airlines now charge for baggage, people have become insanely childish when it comes to boarding. I feel like I am at a concert sometimes, people crowding the entry to the jetway, pushing and forgetting their manners. Most airlines have boarding orders or groups. I fly USAir mostly, so I have Gold status, which entitles me to board first or nearly first. This never stops 6 foot men from pushing me out of the way, surely a girl of not even 5 feet tall can't possibly have a better boarding group then them!
Then there is the carry on bags..... seriously people. A suitcase that you pack for a weeks vacation will NOT fit in the overhead..... just pay for it.
My ultimate favorite, however is the food choices that people decide are ok for on a plane. Since you have to pay for everything, including water, a virtual food buffet ends up on the plane. Most items are ok, ham sandwiches, bagels, fruit, and whatnot. But there is "one in every crowd"....... an Italian hoagie with onions, oregano, etc...... or a stinky fried something or another...... can we all remember that the airplane is a confined space with recirculated air!! Onions linger for an entire 6 hour flight......

Blog Stealing

The following post is one of those get-to-know-you type things. I 100% stole this idea off of a blog that a freind from high school's wife writes... follow that??? The goal is to answer the following in only one word........

This is a One-Word-Answer MEME. Pretty self explanatory:

Where is your mobile phone? Charging

Where is your significant other? sleeping

Your hair colour? strawberry

Your mother? home

Your father? Delaware

Your favourite thing? facebook

Your dream last night? scary

Your dream goal? numerous

The room you’re in? yellow

Your hobby? sleep

Your fear? failure

Where do you want to be in 6 years? content

Where were you last night? home

What you’re not? tall

One of your wish-list items? happiness

Where you grew up? house

The last thing you did? type

What are you wearing? sweater

Your TV? black

Your pets? furry

Your computer? addicting

Your mood? stressed

Missing someone? yes

Your car? Escape

Something you’re not wearing? shoes

Favourite shop? Kohls

Your summer? hot

Love someone? yes

Your favourite colour? blue

When is the last time you laughed? today

When is the last time you cried? Friday

Feel free to "steal my blog!"

Ski Lift Line or Security Line??

Since I travel every week, I spend a lot of time in the airports. Philadelphia is my "home" airport, as unthrilling as that is. What made me laugh this week was a huge sign that congratulated Philly as the number one airport in customer satisfaction according to some magazine, Forbes, I think. Seriously??? It is the WORST airport as far as customer service and on time arrivals that I travel to. I am not sure who was asked to vote on this, but I don't believe it was the every day "Joes" who use the airport.

I do, however, need to acknowledge some nice changes that I have noticed over the past few weeks. First, the TSA uniforms were revamped in all airports and they do look much nicer, but it did nothing for the personalities..... Second, some new signage and arrival/departure/baggage claim info boards brings the airport into the 21st Century.... finally, this week, I noticed a change in security procedures. I found myself faced with a black diamond line, a blue oval line and a red triangle (i think) line. I felt like I was getting ready to ski! I do LOVE this change. The lines are based on your travel experience. The red triangle is for families traveling with little children and the inexperienced traveler. The blue line is for the casual traveler and the black diamond line is for the frequent traveler. Whoo Hoo!! This is the best change! Especially in the summer and high travel times, like holidays. Now, if they only hold true to the lines........

Phinally Phighting Phillies!!!

WE DID IT!!! And by we, of course I mean me......you mean I didn't help?? :( Anyway, the PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS!! The last time this happened was in 1980, I was 10, and my mom had to wake me and my sister up to see the end of the ninth inning and the celebration of the win. It took 28 years for us to do it again. AND 25 years since the city has had any championship team. Unless you count the Soul, Jon Bon Jovi's Arena Football team in Philadelphia. Go Philly! I, however, am in Cleveland in a hotel and watched by myself. Jo Ann's house looked like more fun!