(To the tune Your Song) It's a little bit ghetto...this feeling inside...the Staybridge Hotel in Santa Barbara...can't easily hide. It didn't take much money...and its the best room they could do. Their gift was their room (yeah) and room 314 is for you. And you can tell everybody...this is your suite...it may be quite ghetto...but who can compete? I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind, that I charged you $130...how wonderful it was to sleep in my world.
Hey it was a room OK and without intense scrutiny (this is where I play the ignorance is bliss card), it was clean. I just wish their web site didn't play it up so much...completely remodeled rooms!! There must have been some major ghetto going on there before. Took a couple quick pix of the luxury digs which I'll attempt to post later through some feat of technical prowess (palmpre only seems to want to upload to facebook and photobucket). Not that it bothered me when Tom commented "no dead body there" after lifting up the bedskirt. And who doesn't enjoy the view of a kitchenette from bed? And what's not to love about a soothing hum of an ancient refrigerator to induce a deeply relaxing meditative state conducive for sleep?
Today we are enroute to San Francisco...with perhaps a stop in Monterey.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Vacation 2009 ... First thoughts
Bllogging via my PalmPre as we travel 70 MPH on the 78 freeway. The plan is to stay in Santa Barbara tonight. And head the rest of the way to San Francisco tomorrow. Alcatraz on Thursday.
But enough of future stuff...I bet you would rather hear about what is happening now. Still on the 78...sweet home alabama playing on the XM satellite radio...sun still high in the sky. It will be making its desent soon enough and hopefully aftet our dramatic transition northward on the 5. A car in front of us is practicing random acts of breaking apparently piloted by Dr.Slow.
Had my first monkey arms endeavor of the trip...reaching back to recover a dropped electronic device for the boys. This won't be the last time but at least I won't have to climb over the seats to provide in flight food service to young children as I did in years past.
I cringe as the boys discover the Its peanut butter jelly song and procees to play it back at an annoying decible level. Tom throws a concerning look over his ahoulder as he reaches for his ear buds. Probably illegal to drive with them in but he is also travelling well above the speed limitt.
Las Pulgas Road already...awwww the great spanse called Camp Pendleton. Traffic is light but we still need to pass OC and contend with LA.
Tanks to the right ... Pacific ocean to the left.
Time to charge the ol battery to get ready for the next installment.
But enough of future stuff...I bet you would rather hear about what is happening now. Still on the 78...sweet home alabama playing on the XM satellite radio...sun still high in the sky. It will be making its desent soon enough and hopefully aftet our dramatic transition northward on the 5. A car in front of us is practicing random acts of breaking apparently piloted by Dr.Slow.
Had my first monkey arms endeavor of the trip...reaching back to recover a dropped electronic device for the boys. This won't be the last time but at least I won't have to climb over the seats to provide in flight food service to young children as I did in years past.
I cringe as the boys discover the Its peanut butter jelly song and procees to play it back at an annoying decible level. Tom throws a concerning look over his ahoulder as he reaches for his ear buds. Probably illegal to drive with them in but he is also travelling well above the speed limitt.
Las Pulgas Road already...awwww the great spanse called Camp Pendleton. Traffic is light but we still need to pass OC and contend with LA.
Tanks to the right ... Pacific ocean to the left.
Time to charge the ol battery to get ready for the next installment.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Bryce Update
Bryce got his cast off on 10/23. His collarbone is healing great. He still has 6 more weeks of healing for his arm. Here is an x-ray pix:
And here are his battle wounds -- this shows where the bone came out of the skin.
And here are his battle wounds -- this shows where the bone came out of the skin.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Bryce's Birthday Accident - The Story
Call it premontion - but Bryce really was pressing to celebrate his birthday a day before on Sunday the 7th. So, we did the cake and present opening Sunday afternoon/evening. The next day on his way home from school, he crashed his bike coming down the final stretch to home. He said he was riding on the sidewalk but then went out to the street to avoid some gardners. Upon returning to the sidewalk, he approached at a speed that proved to put him out of control. He remembers riding across the grass, hitting a flowerpot, and then coming to on someone's driveway. He was alone and screamed until someone came out to help him. I received a phone call from Bryce's cell phone around 3:38pm and the person informed me "your son has been in an accident, an ambulance is on the way, he needs immediate medical attention." I just about passed out at that point, but asked "where is he?" I got there right as the ambulance did. He was splayed out on his left side. His forearm was bent back toward his body in an awkard right-angle. There was blood. We would find out later that his compound fracture involved 3 breaks to his forearm and that his collar bone was also broken.
He was a trooper - didn't cry or complain. Was put on a board, head taped down and put in the ambulance. In there they started an IV line so he could be administered some pain medicine. He was transported to Children's Hospital, arriving at 4pm. At 7pm he went into surgery. He has three incisions, the largest one being where the bones came through the skin. The other two were to insert metal rods in both bones. He will have another surgery to have these removed. He came out of surgery at 8:35 and was alert enough to go to his hospital room at 10pm. I stayed the night with him. He ended up staying 3 nights total.
5 days after the accident he is doing well. Had a minor set back last night (Friday night); he awoke not being able to breathe. He sounded like he had croup so I took him outside and tried to calm him by asking him to breath slowly in and out. Today he is back in the action - he is playing video games, watching movies and working on his legos.
I am most appreciative to the neighbors who came to his side in my absence. One person held an umbrella over him to keep him shaded, another was talking to him and keeping him calm, another was brushing the ants and flies off of him, another had found the cell phone to call me. Thanks to our great neighbors and the paramedics and the great surgeons, doctors, nurses at Children's Hospital.
He was a trooper - didn't cry or complain. Was put on a board, head taped down and put in the ambulance. In there they started an IV line so he could be administered some pain medicine. He was transported to Children's Hospital, arriving at 4pm. At 7pm he went into surgery. He has three incisions, the largest one being where the bones came through the skin. The other two were to insert metal rods in both bones. He will have another surgery to have these removed. He came out of surgery at 8:35 and was alert enough to go to his hospital room at 10pm. I stayed the night with him. He ended up staying 3 nights total.
5 days after the accident he is doing well. Had a minor set back last night (Friday night); he awoke not being able to breathe. He sounded like he had croup so I took him outside and tried to calm him by asking him to breath slowly in and out. Today he is back in the action - he is playing video games, watching movies and working on his legos.
I am most appreciative to the neighbors who came to his side in my absence. One person held an umbrella over him to keep him shaded, another was talking to him and keeping him calm, another was brushing the ants and flies off of him, another had found the cell phone to call me. Thanks to our great neighbors and the paramedics and the great surgeons, doctors, nurses at Children's Hospital.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Bryce's Birthday Accident - Part V
His bike showed a little damage and evidence of that potted plant he crashed into. His backpack and shirt both had to be cut off of him by the paramedics. Lots of cards are on display in his room.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Bryce's Birthday Accident -- Part III
After three days in the hospital...Bryce gets to return to his own room!
Bryce's Birthday Accident - Part II
... then the next thing you know you are in recovery from surgery in the orthopedic wing of the Children's Hospital.
Bryce's Birthday Accident
One day you are getting ready to eat cake with your brothers (the day before your birthday)...
Friday, July 25, 2008
What's the point?
I miss writing in Europe. When I was there, I would get comments posted on my posts.
But now... there is ZILCH. NULL. A VOID that even I cannot program around.
For those that don't know it, I am writing on my other Blog.
I am emotionally spent tonight, so that is it for me. I hope to find my cadence, my voice, my inspiration again soon. But tonight is bittersweet.
But now... there is ZILCH. NULL. A VOID that even I cannot program around.
For those that don't know it, I am writing on my other Blog.
I am emotionally spent tonight, so that is it for me. I hope to find my cadence, my voice, my inspiration again soon. But tonight is bittersweet.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Kyle & Connor's Birthday
Just days after returning back from Europe, we decided to have Kyle & Connor's birthday party. What was my jet-lagged mind thinking?Before I knew it, I had called up some of their friends and made plans for the 3rd of July. Knowing it was going to be HOT, I looked for a reasonable theme. My tired mind was not creative when I
thought of WATER.
Water may work. I found a water slide that would fit in our yard. OK - but what goes with water? SPONGES -- or rather, who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SPONGEBOB! Now we have a plan! Wouldn't you know, Albertson's had 10 for $10 on big yellow sponges? It was fate. Now just need some markers and pipe cleaners and we have a craft.
The water slide was a hit. The kids did not tire of the thing. Kyle & Connor and their friends spent hours going down it front ways, backways, stomach, back, sideways... it was hilarious to watch. They came up with names for them like "the super slip" where you try to stand up the whole way down.
Even my little 18-year-old nephew couldn't resist and went down very many times in his full clothes. Here's Connor doing the turbo superman sliding form!
We rate this birthday party *****
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