Cable Girl

So, yesterday (or the day before, or one day this week) I decided to hook the Mickey Mouse television (literally, not figuratively) in the Disney bedroom up to cable. By this I mean that it was already hooked up to cable, but since Phil Farsworth must have built this TV himself, it would no longer function on the regular cable connection. In other words, it needed a little black box in order to get the basic channels. At least that's what Comcast told me a while back when I went to pick up the boxes. Since you get two free and you have to pay monthly for others, I got 3 - don't even get me started on how many televisions and various type of DVR/DVD/XYZ boxes and televisions we have total in this house.

Anyhow, the one TV that did not receive the precious little black box was the aforementioned Mickey TV. Fast forward several months, and since Maribeth has moved her stuff out, I had an extra box and decided to hook Mickey up.

I am no stranger to hooking up cable. Mind you, I started out in life with a black and white television that only got two channels - CBS, and NBC on a clear night. We lived out in the country and had an antenna on the roof. To get a certain channel, you had to point the antenna in the direction of that station (the nearest was 30 miles away). We were advanced, though. We had a dial box on top of the TV that connected to a motor on the antenna that would turn the antenna for us. Of course it was a fairly complicated procedure, as you had to turn it little by little until the picture became clear. Basically, it turned the antenna this fast: one Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi. Eventually we upgraded to a color television, and cable finally was run out to our farm after I left home.

When we were first married, Steve and I lived in student housing. We had cable TV, but this was the beginning of HBO - which came on at 5 pm everyday. To get connected to HBO (without paying), you had to get some antenna wire, hook it up to you TV, and cut it by 1/2 inch lengths until HBO came on. Oh, and once you got that picture, you were to NEVER MOVE THE CABLE WIRE - or you would have to go buy more cable wire and start over.

Throughout our family life, we have had cable and I have learned all about splitters and cable wire. So, I thought that hooking up this little cable box would be no problem. I thought wrong.

Upon getting it hooked up, instead of getting a picture, I got a message that said, "Your cable has been interrupted but will be resolved soon." So I waited. And waited. And waited. Still no cable. I unhooked and unplugged but got the same message. I decided to call Comcast and after 6000 rings, decided they were not answering the phone. So, I decided to try the online help thingy.

I got online and was soon e-chatting with SH88904##4 (or something like that). But she said I could call her Sher. We went through bunch of mundane "get to know you and your account" preliminaries (once of which required me to go find my account number, which I thought she could find easier than I could). She would ask me questions and I would answer. At one point a message indicated that she had left the room, which caused me concern because she had not mentioned leaving - was it a medical emergency or her lunch hour or did she just have the runs? Anyhow, eventually she came back and asked if I were still on the line, which of course, I was. Anyhow, more messaging went back and forth and no solutions were to be found. Her final recommendation was for me to take the box back and get a new one, even though she supposedly sent a message to the box and the box assured her he was fine. Whatever.

I had decided that perhaps the wire to the Disney room was unhooked, since I had used that line several times to move to the other side of the room and to connect to a TV in the sun room. However, to test this theory would require me going under the house in the crawl space - ickness. But I knew I was going to have to go there - or pay a Comcast dude (or maybe Sher) to come and do it for me. Being cheap, I opted for unpaid labor - me.

So, this afternoon, I pulled the cover off the hole to the crawl space (even though the opening is in the sun room, we had a platform to cover it since it's basically a big hole - the platform is more like a small stage, so taking it off is no small feat). I got down in the hole (which ain't that big for a person like me) and opened the door. Our crawl space is covered in plastic, so it's not so bad, but it's not a ride at Disney World, either. Armed with my flashlight, I located the offending cable wire and my suspicions were correct - it was not hooked up.

Of course, both ends of the wires that needed to be connected did not have connectors on them, but the splitter had connectors on it, so here I was, on my knees in the crawl space, flashlight under my chin, trying to screw the bend connectors onto the wires so I could screw them into the splitter so cable TV could be achieved. And it was.

I just wish Sher could have been there to share in the joy.

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Today's blessings: Clean cars for Molly and me; living room and sun room straightened up; check-in from Maribeth in Cuba; Salisbury steak and mashed potatoes for dinner

Wordless Wednesday

Don't speak unless you can improve on the silence. ~Spanish Proverb

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Today's blessings: family pizza dinner time

Possibly the Dumbest TV Show Ever

And believe me, I've seen enough dumb shows to know.

Anyhow, today while I was cleaning up my bedroom, I had the TV on for background noise. At some point the show "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" came on. I knew who they were, and am aware of the ridiculousness of their lives. But the more I listened, the stupider they became.

For instance, one of the younger daughters had friends over visiting in her bedroom, some of whom were boys. Daddy Bruce Jenner blows a gasket because that's against some rule that younger daughter either doesn't know or was told to pitch a fit about on camera. To retaliate, younger daughter calls a car service to go to basketball player's wife big sister. Really? Calling a car service?

Another big sister wants to have another baby with her baby daddy. Apparently they need some lube but don't want to be seen buying said lube, so they're going to get some stranger to go in and buy it for them. Because the television cameras filming them will keep their lube secret.

In another episode (I know because I've seen the preview 5 kabillion times) the mom of all this mess is thinking about changing her name back to Kardashian from Jenner. I refuse to tune in to find out why. I saw another preview where she was at her dead ex-husband's grave weeping and wailing. If I were Bruce Jenner, I think I would shot-put her Kardashian arse out of my house.

Later in today's episode, Baby momma and baby daddy come into Big Butt sister's kitchen and proceed to tell her about their sex life from that morning. Even I lost my appetite listening to that.

Mercifully, either the show ended, or I finished my work, because the next time I glanced at the TV, Jerseylicious or something like it was one. I know this because the people on TV were dressed like street hookers and were in a beauty salon - which I believe is the premise of that show.

The good news is that I've had my fill of this family called Kardashian (or Jenner, if you count the two youngest daughters - unless mama also wants them to change to Kardashian - and their sperm donor, Bruce). I think the next time I need background noise to accompany my cleaning, I'll go for those Mensa-type shows, like Toddlers and Tiaras. At least those people won't be calling any car service - that money is for pageant dresses and entry fees!

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Today's blessings: cleaning up my bedroom; Maggie feeling better; updating race stats; fish/chips dinner via Steve

It's All Fun And Games ...

... until somebody gets hurt.

A few days ago, Maggie and Minnie were playing their usual game of chase, catch, and wrassle. Then somebody (or should I say somecat) got all bent out of shape. Fast forward 24 hours. Maggie hadn't been seen all day, so I went upstairs to check on her. She was curled up on the floor, looking a little puny. This morning I checked on her again, and saw that her left jaw was swollen.

Fast forward one vet visit, one lancing/draining of abscess due to a Minnie bite, various ointments/meds, and one big ole vet bill, and you get the results of cats gone wild. Poor Maggie is drunk from the anesthesia needed for the procedure. She also has a neck collar that she's supposed to wear for ten days (fat chance).

Just when you think you're out of refereeing sibling rivalry, you realize you're not. If only they had those crates in child-size 25 years ago!!

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Today's blessings: lunch visit from Lynnette to get her jogging in; post-lunch visit from Sam to pick up TV; Value Vet people; dinner visit via Sonic with Molly; sweet Lucy note

What I Came Up With For Tonight's Blog Post

I'll get back to you tomorrow ....

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Today's blessings: O-Garden lunch with Lindley, Lynnette, and Molly; Steve getting groceries

Saturday Fun

Need I say more?

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Today's blessings: 2-mile walk with Karen, Karen, Gloria, Tracy, and Michelle; lunch via Molly; spending the day with Lindley and Lynnette; burrito dinner with Molly and Lynnette; garage sale finds; Starbucks via Steve

Lost and Found

I rarely lose things. I simply put them in safe places and forget where those safe places are. Sometimes I find the safe place and the thing that was once thought of as lost, but by that time I've forgotten that it was lost, so it's sort of like finding a treasure.

Sometimes my cell phone sprouts legs and wanders off. This is the only time that I miss our land line - I could call my cell phone and verify it's whereabouts. But eventually it shows - it's usually with my keys and/or wallet.

But today is about finding things.

A few months ago, I misplaced my checkbook. I knew it was somewhere around the house or Maribeth's house or Molly's house, because those are the only places where I write checks. But nobody seemed to know where it was - including me. Since I had other pads of checks, it didn't thwart my check-writing abilities. In fact, I wrote checks out of two check pads - imagine my check register - #3789 followed by #3904 followed by #3776. But not to worry, because my checkbook showed up the other day - in Maribeth's car. I guess it was trying to run away.

Many, many months ago, Maribeth had been using my car while I was out of town. Upon my return home and to the use of my car, I noticed a Target gift card in the console storage place. I let it ride around town with me for awhile, then became concerned for its safety. My family members tend to claim stuff that just sits around. So, I decided to put it in a safe place. And promptly forgot where that place was. This wouldn't have been a big deal, except that the card belonged to Maribeth. She would ask about it from time to time, but still that little piece of information as to the card's whereabouts refused to budge from the recesses of my pea brain. Until tonight when I got out my sewing basket bag. There inside, along with a valentine from butt camp, was the aforementioned card. I called Maribeth, told her I found it, and then told her where I was putting it for safekeeping. I think I woke her up, so we'll see who remembers it tomorrow.

Finally, tonight during my sewing activity, I dropped a straight pin on the rug. Normally I would wait for my bare foot to find it, but since Lindley also likes travelling around the house, I thought it a better idea to find it before she did. I got down on the floor and looked around. At first I didn't see it, but I kept at it. I found other stuff like Cheerios and other unmentionable stuff, but no pin. I considered giving up, but decided to look a little longer - and I found it.

So, what's the moral of today's musings? Maybe it's that what's lost can be found. Maybe it's that what's lost isn't always a matter of dire importance. Maybe it's just that stuff gets lost and stuff gets found, and when it matches up, it's a good thing.

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Today's blessings: last day of butt camp for this session, zumba, and girl exercise-bonding; clearance shopping with Molly; Red Robin burgers with Molly and nice waitress; tickets and 5K registrations for Wine and Dine; CPK dinner and visit with Lynnette, Sam, Lindley, Molly, and Steve; chatting with Maribeth on the phone; completing shirt project

It's Thursday, and I Have Contact Cleaner In My Eye

Other than my left eye burning and tearing up profusely, it's been a good day. I made it to butt camp after a lousy night's sleep. The three extra pallets of sod were picked up, thus freeing up my driveway. I made family flight reservations for the Wine and Dine weekend in October. I got my 2011 mammogram with a really good and friendly tech. I stopped by for a Starbucks afterward and once I got home, managed to clean the kitchen. I picked up Lindley from day care and we stopped for Pinkberry before going to her house. I picked up Molly and we met the Karens for a free showing of "Bad Teacher." Maribeth stopped by to borrow a suitcase for her trip tomorrow to Cuba to visit Mathieu. And, tomorrow is the last day of this session of butt camp.

So, with all that good stuff, what's a little cleaning solution in your eye? Just a chance to determine the day's worth, and what to base that worth on. I guess you could say it gave me a chance to see things clearly!

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Today's blessings: all the above

Hello Wall - It's Me Again

When I crawled out of bed this morning to go to butt camp, I didn't want to go. I was tired and a bit sore from going from butt-sitting for the past few weeks to butt-camping. And, since I returned to the butt camp fold just in time for weeks three and four, the pace was more intense. In other words, my motivation was lacking. Which means I'm not sure there was any motivation to be had.

But I went anyway. The back of my knee twinged, the front of my knees creaked, my ankles whined, my wrists cried, my heart went pitty-pat, my lungs wheezed, and every single pore on my body rained sweat. But I got through it, and in some way, was actually glad I went.

I guess that's the thing about walls. You can either be stopped by them or somehow manage to bust through them. Sometimes when you break through one, all you find is another wall (noooo - I'm not talking about tomorrow morning's butt camp). But if you ever want to really get where you want to go, you're going to have to somehow get through those walls. Maybe it's through hard work, or maybe it's just luck, or just maybe, it's all that sweat that lets you slide through the cracks!

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Today's blessings: Wednesday butt camp with Karen; JAlex lunch with Maribeth; pizza dinner in the sunroom with Lindley, Sam, Lynnette, Molly, and Maribeth

Tuesdays

Some Tuesdays seem like they should be Fridays, because you're already tired, and it's only Tuesday

Some Tuesdays seem like they should be Mondays, because you don't know what happened to Monday anyway, and it's already Tuesday.

I'm not sure which of those is my Tuesday for today. I made it to butt camp, I registered for a half-marathon training program, and I got the laundry done. The front lawn is no longer a barren wasteland, as the new sod has been put down.

On to Wednesday ...

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Today's blessings: Butt camp outside; new sod; Steve, Barry, and Buddy's home tour; Molly's visit

Really? Fried Twinkies Wasn't Enough?

I'm not sure what makes me want to vomit more - the ingredients, the icky oil it is fried in, the finished product, or just the entire idea. One thing's for sure - I'm never going to try it to test the limits of my intestinal fortitude by eating one!!

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Today's blessings: Monday butt camp partnering with spry Gloria; napping with Minnie the cat; Steve's steaks for dinner with Steve, Maribeth, and Molly; Lindley's potty news; Target, Wal Mart, and Kroger gas with Molly; the Y, Chick fil A and finding a toy in the parking lot with Maribeth; Steve and his boys at the pool

Sunday With Lindley

What could be better than that?!

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Today's blessings: Sunday brunch with the family; an hour at Massage Envy with Gina; afternoon Lindley time; watching TV with Steve and Maribeth

It Has To Start Somewhere

The only question is - what is "it" and where does it start? All I know is that I can't seem to match up my "its" with the corresponding "starts."

Oh well, maybe it's like most of the races I do. I'm never at the front when the gun goes off. I'm waaayy at the back, waiting for my turn to wog across the start line. Eventually I do, and I'm off - headed toward the finish.

Sometime later, and I do mean later, I cross the finish line. Almost everyone else has left and gone home. But I finish, and wait for the next time to start a new race.

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Today's blessings: Four mile walk and Bongo Java with Karen, Karen, Gloria, and Molly; shopping with Molly; afternoon with Lindley, Sam, Lynnette, Maribeth, and Steve: watching "The Tourist" with Steve

Reality TV From Across The Pond

This is from "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding." I can't explain it - you're just going to have to watch it yourself. It's amazing. Really.

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Today's blessings: Friday butt camp (woo hoo!); visit from Molly; Pinkberry and play at her house with Lindley; seeing Molly's new deck; watching "Knight and Day" with Steve

What I Am Learning From Reality TV

Since returning from cruise season, I have been watching "reality television." Of course, I have no ideas whose reality it is - it's far from any reality I know. However, it is teaching me what I should have/should be doing. For instance:

From the various Housewives franchise:

*Being a housewife does not require a house or a husband, since several of these chicks have neither one nor the other.

*Being a housewife does require you to fight with your supposed friends, talk behind their backs, be best friends one day and mortal enemies the next, and create problems where there are none. In other words, act like you're in junior high.

*Being a housewife requires that you spend way more money than you make, especially when there's no evidence that you make any money at all.

*Being a housewife requires that you get implants - in just about any place you can imagine. I guess if you can't show emotion, it's easier to be friends/enemies with your enemies/friends.

*Being a housewife means that you are rich, which is handy when you declare bankruptcy, which is handy when you need to buy a new house or get some more implants.

*Being a housewife means you have a fashion line. Which you apparently need no experience or talent to develop. You probably also have a skin care line and design purses.

From Toddlers and Tiaras:

*The reason my children are not famous is because I did not put them in pageants. This is also the reason they do not have confidence, because pageants is the only place one develops confidence.

*It does not matter if you win or lose, because it is the experience that counts. Unless your kid loses and wails her way out of the building because she did not get the Supreme Super Royal Regent Queen and the $2 trophy and $3 tiara.

*It is worth the $200 tan and make-up, the $200 hairstylist and extensions, the $200 flippers because your kid's teeth face east and west instead of north and south, the $500 professional photographs, the $2000 beauty dress, and the $500 entrance fees because if your kid wins, the prize is $1000.

*The Breakfast of Champions for beauty queens? Red Bull, soda pop, and extra-large pixie stix. And spoonfuls of sugar. Chased down by Kool-aid.

So there you have it - if only reality television had been available back in my day, I'd be taking your order for my face cream and hand bag.

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Today's blessings: Thursday butt camp and dodge ball; Lindley time and spaghetti dinnerdwith the family

We Did A Little Pilates Today ...

In boot camp this morning, that is. I would show you a real picture of my efforts, but (a) there was no photographer there, and (b) an overweight old lady passed out on the floor is not that photogenic, anyway. I can't say that I became a Pilates convert - my body was not that interested in the bending and twisting and stretching (shocker, I know). But at least I tried it and know not to sign up for that class at the Y. It's important to be an informed consumer, you know!

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Today's blessings: Wednesday butt camp and 5K talk; buds signing up for the 5K; pizza with Steve and Maribeth

So Much For My California Home ...

So it looks like my California getaway was sold from underneath me. Candy Spelling got her $150 million - just about the time I was ready to make a low ball offer of $149 millon. All I needed was to find a bank that would give me 100% financing. Or win several lotteries. Or find 150 million people who would donate $1 each to my cause.

Oh well, it did only had parking for 100 cars ...

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Today's blessings: Tuesday butt camp; leftover chicken sapa; Applebees dinner with Maribeth, Molly, and Steve at Molly's house

Them's Fancy Eatin'

I admit it. I am not a connie-sewer of fine kwizene. In fact, once when my sister Marilyn, my friend Emily, and I were eating at a local restaurant, Emily and I were quite content to eat the burned (as in black) biscuits we were served. Marilyn, who is apparently a step up on the fine dining ladder, asked that we get new biscuits, which we did.

So, you might find it odd that I would pay the extra (and I do mean extra) that it takes to eat at Remy, the Disney Dream's new eating option. What can say? I booked it for the same reason Marilyn and I ate at Victoria and Albert's a few years ago - because it's there.

Anyhoo, we booked a table for 8:10 on our last night of the cruise. We knew we would have to wear our fancy duds. Luckily we had already made a trip to Wal-Mart, so we were ready with our black dresses (I would say little black dresses, but there was nothing little about mine).

We arrive at Remy at our appointed time. We knew where to go, after searching the ship for Palo the night before (yes, that's right. Palo one night and Remy the next. Get over your jealous self). Technically, Palo and Remy share a check-in desk, although due to the fanciness of those two fancy eatin' joints, I think it's probably more acceptable to say it's a cheque-inn deske.

We are escorted to the bar/waiting area. Soon Sir Managere comes and greets us and escorts us to our table. I probably should have remembered his name, especially since he was super attentive throughout the entire meal, but I had more important things to think about. Mainly, was my butt as enormous as I thought in my $15 Wal Mart big black dress.

We had a fabulous table - right by the windows looking out. I would have taken pictures - if I bothered to take my camera. There wasn't much time for picture taking, since it was time for the eatin' to commence.

First, some guy came by with a cart that had two champagne glasses, a bottle of champagne, and some other stuff. Let me stop here to say that I do not remember all the courses - there were a lot of them. Nor do I remember the names of the various dudes that served our table. The only ones I remember are Sir Managere and David, our main server. Anyhow, Champagne Man mixed up some vodka (I think), champagne, and raspberries, and we were off to the races.

Next Crunchy Square Man came by with a plate and two little cubes on the table. He probably told us what they were, but we really didn't care. Maybe next time I'll take a tablet and some pencils and write it all down. He told us to let the cubes cool down, then put the entire cube in our mouth - don't bite it in half, because then we would get the same effect as biting on a little tomato, which I took to mean that there would be squirting, which apparently one does not do in a nice restaurant.

Next David showed up with the menus. David is from Paris and was extremely nice and friendly. He was like our guide - helping two hillbillies not make a complete mess of everything. Basically, the menu is like a book. The front page has two menus that have already been decided. If you don't like that, then you can pick from the ala carte menu. Since most of the words in the menu were French, and the ones in English I didn't understand anyway, we chose the pre-selected menu. There were two pre-selected menus. Marilyn picked one because two words she knew in that menu were sea bass. I picked the other because I thought one of the words was beef.

The next two hours were a blur of David and Sir Managere bringing us a course covered by a silver cover, uncovering it, then David would tell us a story about what we were about to chow down on. I rarely understood a thing he said - not because I couldn't understand his French accent, but because if it doesn't come with a number (like "I'll choose a #3 with fries and a diet coke), then I don't understand. The thing that I did understand was that each and every dish was absolutely delicious. Luckily David was there to take away my plate before I picked it up and started licking it clean.

After the main courses came the cheese course. This course consisted of a wagon full of cheeses being brought to our table, with the story of each cheese told to us. Then we were asked which cheeses we wanted to sample. Since none of them came with the label "Kraft" or "Laughing Cow", we decided to just get a plate of all of them. I would like to say here that the French love their cheese - all six jillion kinds of them. Like good guests, we did our best of clean that plate.

Now it was time for dessert. Dessert is two silver boxes with about 12 different kinds of little chocolate candies, lollipops, meringues, muffins, tarts, and who knows what else. And yes, we ate them all.

Soon it was time to say goodbye and call for the forklift to raise us off our chairs and tote us to our room. We gathered our long-stemmed roses, said our farewells to David and Sir, and somehow made our way to our cabin, where we found on our bed, a small box from Remy containing four handmade truffles.

Now that's some fancy eatin'!!

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Today's blessings: Back to butt camp and seeing all my booties; chicken sapa dinner with all the family

In A Few Words ...

I'm home!! Again. Hopefully, this time with no immediate plans for another trip somewhere. Now it's back to my regular life, and trying to get that back in some semblance of order - whatever that means. For now, it means going to bed in my own bed - probably with two kitties by my side!

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Today's blessings: Safe car trip back home with Maribeth; back home, period!

Saturday. In A Few Words.

Mostly because I have about 12 minutes of internet left. And I have my big fancy dinner at Remy in about 30 minutes. And I need to get my bag packed and outside the door. So, basically, it was a beautiful day at Castaway Cay. Good food, good weather, good talk by one of the cast members who lives on the island to work with the stingrays. Oh, and a Konk Kooler along the way.

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Today's blessings: Funnel-vision movies; learning about animal care on the island; "Believe" show; Remy's

Nassau

I saw Atlantis - from the ship. Didn't bother to get off the ship, since I've been here several times, didn't want to buy diamonds or other gems, and wasn't in the mood to pet dolphins. Instead, I ate breakfast, watched a movie on the Tunnelvision screen, and rode the Aquaduct - three times. After that, it was time for a nap, then a platinum reception in the art gallery (another talk by Ducky Williams) where we got a glass of sparkling wine followed by champagne followed by pink champagne followed by some raspberry champagne mixed drink. In between we ate Godiva chocolate. Yep, being a platinum Disney cruiser had its advantages!! After that it was time for dinner at Palo - and again, if you need explanation for that, you need to get your fanny on a Disney cruise. Soon it will be time for fireworks and the late night pirate party.

Tomorrow is the second day at Castaway Cay and then back to reality on Sunday - or should I say Monday when I return to butt camp (and boy, has my butt been enhanced since my last session!).

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Today's blessings: fellow Aquaduct-ers; Palo server and dinner; art reception

Thursday Sea Day Recap

First of all, sea day consisted mostly of sitting in the water - not a lot of movement. I think we went slightly faster than I wog. Nassau is much closer than need be for a day at sea. Nevertheless, I found stuff to do. Such as ...

Breakfast at the Royal Palace followed by a little shopping followed by the Ducky Williams talk followed by the Gold and Platinum Reception followed by lunch at the Royal Palace followed by movie triva (where I kept the cruise line pen). Afternoon nap followed by "The Golden Mickeys" followed by dinner at the Royal Palace followed by a comedy show by Alfred and Seymour.

What - still waiting for pictures?

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Today's blessings: Servers and fellow diners at Royal Palace; Ducky Williams talk and fellow listeners; Castaway reception and chatting with Captain Tom; Golden Mickeys; Alfred and Seymour

Castaway Cay

Still waiting for pictures? You'll have to keep waiting. Without Molly, photographs are going to be few and far between. Besides, nobody needs to see a picture of me in a bathing suit!

Anyhoo, today was our first day at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. We'll swing back by here on Saturday on our way home. Today was a good day to be at the beach - if you like hot and sunny.

I started out with the unofficial Castaway Cay 5K. Here's what that entails: first, they list it in the daily activity sheet, for anyone interested to meet over by the bike rentals. I show up with about 25 other people, all of whom are obviously running fools. Me - I'm a wogging idiot. Anyhoo, some skinny Disney cast chick is on a bike, describing the route. As usual, I'm not listening. I'm too busy trying to size up the competition - mainly, trying to figure out who (if anyone) is going to walk this thing. Skinny Disney Chick finishes her speech with, "Now remember, this is a fun run, so you can walk it or run it. Oh, and don't be concerned if I'm not here when you finish." In my case, I wonder if the ship will still be there when I finish.

We start, and of course, 22 of the 25 are off and leaving me in their dust. The lone couple who said they were going to walk it are the only people behind me. We trot down some road (where I pass Marilyn on her way to her cabana massage - who's the smarter sister?), turn to trot down some other road, then come back to make a loop somewhere and do the whole thing again. I'm still not sure if I turned at the right spot or not, but eventually I ended up at the finish. Not that it mattered. True to her word, Skinny Disney Cast Member Chick was nowhere to be found, and a Disney Beer Selling Dude was there in her place. And even better, the ship was still there, too!!

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Today's blessings: finishing the 5k (I suppose); beautiful day for beaching it; Felipe and the Konk Kooler; afternoon nap; eating dinner at our table across from Ducky Williams; chatting with the cast member in the store; arranging for tour and snack from platinum club

I'm Here!!

Okay, so I made it aboard the Disney Dream. It’s huge – so much larger than the Disney Magic and Wonder. I’m sure you would like pictures, but there aren’t any – I spent most of my time trying to figure out my way around. The corridors are much longer, there are four more decks, there are more places to eat (we could just leave it at that), and there are more places and things to figure out. Besides, I needed to attend the DVC meeting, where I won a music box thingy.

Later (at 8:15 pm), Marilyn and I went to dinner in the newly fancied-up Animator’s Palate. We were looking forward to meeting our tablemates – who were no-shows. However we’re at a table for 8, so we wonder if we’ll be eating with a family – always a possibility for interesting stories! We met our servers, although I didn’t pay attention to their names – for now they’ll just be Drink Dude and Server Dude. I’ll try to do better next time.

After dinner, we had just enough energy to make it back to the room and go to bed. Our first stop is at Castaway Cay – first of two stops there. On to the beach!!

Today’s blessings: Riding the bus and picking up fellow cruisers at different resorts; going through the short Platinum line; Disney Dream and EVERYTHING that entails!

Checking Out of OKW Tomorrow ...

... and checking into here.

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Today's blessings: MK morning and talking to bench dude and random tour dude; TGI Fridays with Marilyn and Steve; 35 years of knowing Steve

We're Not Too Far Off ...

Marilyn is here at Disney World. On Tuesday, we will board Disney's new ship, The Dream, for a 5-night cruise. This is the latest of many cruises that we have been on together. We have eaten with the chickens, gotten massages by masseuses with bad attitudes, worn ridiculous looking moo-moos, gone to the movies in our pajamas, and had more than our share of idiotic dining table mates. We expect this cruise to follow suit. And while we have not quite achieved the fashionista statement to the left, I don't think we're too far behind. Seriously.

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Today's blessings: Puck dinner and vinylmation via Steve; afternoon walk and swim

The Pony Parable

Once upon a time, a little girl had a pony. She was free to ride her pony when she wanted, even several times a day. Her friends were sometimes envious. They would say things like, "You're so lucky to have your own pony," or "I wish I were you and had my own pony." The little girl would smile and nod her head, because she knew while her friends meant what they said, they really wouldn't want her pony or to be her.

Her friends never saw the times her pony bit her when she was trying to feed the pony. They never saw the pony kick her when she was trying to brush the pony's tail. They never had to clean up the stall after the pony kicked over its water bucket and feed trough. And they certainly never had to clean up all the poop that pony could poop. The little girl knew if her friends knew all the work that went behind having your own pony, they would probably be thankful that they didn't have a pony after all.

Besides, the little girl often looked at her friends and wished she had a pet puppy like one of her friends, or a little sister like another friend, or a swimming pool like another friend. Sometimes she had to remind herself how lucky she was to have a pony instead of chewed shoes by a puppy, or stuff torn up by a little sister, or having to clean a swimming pool.

Moral of today's story: It's usually sweeter to shovel your own pony poop than that which belongs to your friend!

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Today's blessings: First Watch with Steve and Marilyn; morning napping; afternoon walk and Calendar Girls; dinner with Steve and Marilyn

Friday - Briefly

Shopped. Paid bills. Picked up Marilyn from the airport. Ate dinner - a lot of it. Facebook stalked people. Planned to write amazing blog post, but didn't.

Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

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Today's blessings: family walking along the road with their suitcases; lucky vinyls and giving up Jessie; midnight reverie at Ghiradelli; picking up Marilyn at airport, dinner at Giordano's and suitcase shopping

Ya Gotta Start Sometime

Yesterday was National Running Day. Many people ran yesterday - I wasn't one of them. After only a few hours sleep the night before, spending 10 or so hours in the car, unpacking, and eating dinner, I could barely keep my eyes open, much less put one foot in front of the other.

So, I decided to start today. I spent the morning catching up on sleep and making up excuses as to why I wasn't outside doing my National Running Day jog. Finally around noon, I decided enough was enough, got dressed, and went outside. My plan was to jog, but once outside, I decided it was too hot. Florida in June can be that way. Instead, I walked around the resort complex. I don't know exactly how far it was, but it was a start.

I've started and restarted so many times already this year, that it probably seems silly to even think that today's amble could be the beginning of anything. But I'm hoping it is. All I can do is try. Again.

So maybe I participated in National Running Day a day late. But maybe I didn't. Because maybe when you do something that will hopefully change your life, it's never too late. Maybe once you begin, it's exactly the right time.

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Today's blessings: Morning naps; walking around the resort; tuna sandwich lunch; pool people; outlet mall and 5 Guys with Steve; telephone chat with Molly and Marilyn; new suitcase

The Suitcase Made It

And so did I - on vacation, that is. After going to bed last night around 2am, getting up before 5am, driving (well, riding in the car) all day (and taking about sixty 15 minute naps), we are now settled at Disney's Old Key West.

Now one of us is going to bed. There are Mickey Bars to be eaten tomorrow!

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Today's blessings: Truitt's for lunch and Wolfgang's for dinner with Steve; safe drive down; telephone chat with Maribeth