Coming Up: Roses

I have not even finishing recounting the tales from our last trip, when it's soon time to start packing for the next. We are going to the Rose Bowl to see Ohio State play Oregon. As many of you know Jason's blood not only runs scarlet like the rest of us, but there's surely Ohio State grey in there too.

I am going for the parade (I love flowers!), the energy of the game ("It's older than the Superbowl!" Jason exclaims), and the promise of a visit to the Getty Art Museum.

Our Grand Marshall will be "Miracle on the Hudson" pilot, Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger.I hope it's not an insult, but I'm sorry to have missed Kermit in his turn leading the parade. Since the parade is broadcast on HGTV on New Year's Day, as well as many of the network channels -- making it nearly impossible to avoid -- look for me in the crowd!

Inherited Wealth

The new car decision brought up a debate that I think people split adamantly 50/50 over: leasing versus owning. At one point Jason insisted, "You know my dad's as cheap as it gets, and he believes in leasing!"

I countered, "You never met my dad, but boy, was he frugal - and we owned every car."

Over lunch today with coworkers we were musing about the habits you inherit from your parents, like attitudes towards debt, and point of view on what time to leave for the airport.I realized that our dad was so thrifty and disdainful of debt that when he taught me and Juliet how to play Monopoly, he never mentioned that you could mortgage your properties. Landing on Park Place spelled financial collapse to rival Lehman Brothers if Juliet had hotels. Even if I owned the entire railroad system, if I had no cash, it was over.

I think we didn't figure out the mortgages well into adolescence.

I Do Live Under a Rock

Because I only just read about this viral video. (And I read about it on my commute to work in the Wall Street Journal!)

Then other day, Jason and I heard the same story on NPR about this band, Rey Fresco, and we both thought they were really cool. Time was, I thought anyone who was just hearing about something from NPR was clearly old!

I may be changing my position.

Snerkling in Belize

This is our very best swimsuit photo from the cruise. And by far, the cheapest photo we bought the whole trip. We quickly learned that a primary revenue stream for cruise ships consists of snapping your photo while disembarking for excursions - once three times! - as well as at dinner, on the deck, on the water slide, and well, everywhere else. Posed portraits are an evening activity in and of itself. An after dinner entertainment was not only looking for our own photos, but sometimes mischieviously snickering at those of others, or pointing out folks we'd met.But once the ship stopped at our most anticipated port-of-call, we were eager for snorkeling in Belize. We'd heard much of the beauty of this country as well as the quality of the diving.

On the boat out to our snorkeling site, the guide briefed us on our life jackets and fins. "Snerklers! This is your life jacket!" His accent totally bastardized the pronunciation of the word "snorkelers" which became increasingly funny, since it was how he repeatedly addressed us during the orientation.

"Now Snerklers!" He called our attention for life jacket strapping procedures, "Snerklers, this strap goes up between your legs. Snerklers, this what we call the wedgie strap!" Giggles. And a running joke for the rest of cruise.

Snerklers waiting to diveSnerklers in the waterAfter snerkeling for about an hour or so, we were offered rum punches and ferried over to a little private isle for beach time. This was the picturesque relaxation that every vacation brochure offers. Me & Jason at the beach bar. For future reference, a slushy drink with tequila in the middle of day is not such a terrific idea. But I did have a lovely nap before dinner.

What Did I Do Without These?

A brief product endorsement, especially for anyone who spends anytime traveling: GoToobs.
They are terrific for any product that doesn't come in the TSA-approved size.

Previously, I'd been "interviewing" the free shampoo and lotion bottles at hotels to see if any might be repurposed for filling with my favorite hair product. Remembering that the bottle was not filled with shower gel as the label suggested wasn't too hard, but it was a chore to squeeze my product into the very narrow opening.

I'd tried buying a plastic travel bottle from the drugstore designed for this purpose, but it leaked and was very hard to push out the product.

GoToobs were an ephiphany. They have nice big openings, are really squishy for pushing out liquids or gels, and even have a suction cup to hang onto the mirror in bathrooms. (Haven't needed this feature yet.) There's also a dial to turn to help you remember whether the contents are shampoo, lotion, etc.

Maybe there's enough time to make these a stocking stuffer? They are terrific. I love them almost as much as my Pan Am bag.

Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi!

R.I.P. "Baby A4." And we are taking to the road with our new vehicle.

"Baby A4" was so-called because I purchased it at just the same time good friends had their first baby. The new mom was explaining that any time they heard a gurgle or noise from the baby's room they'd rush to peek in to make sure the little one was ok. Without thinking of the potential insult of comparing a new car to a new baby I said, "Me too! Whenever I hear any noise on the street, I pop out of bed and peer out the blinds to make sure my new baby is ok!"

But Baby A4 is gone, sooner than I'd hoped. Le Roi est mort.
But new to the family is our VW Tiguan, a crossover in black. Vive le Roi.

Stopping in Mexico

One of the most anticipated and eventually most-loved stops of our tour was the Mayan ruins of Tulum.
It was a wickedly hot day, and our tour guide took a painfully slow, deliberate pace to his tour. He was kind and informative, but standing in the heat I often wondered, like an impatient East Coaster, if he might just get to the point. "My friends, amigos, may I share something with you? May I tell you something of my country? Of my people?" "YES! What is it!?? Tell me!!" I silently demanded in my head.
We enjoyed watching our fellow tourists chase the iguanas and lizards for photos.
When the tour was over we had the choice to head out for lunch, or down to the beach. I asked Jason for his preference and his reply, "I could do with a splash," made me laugh.
One of the very peak moments of our vacation was climbing down to the beach and splashing into the clear blue waves of the cool ocean. It was the best. If it hadn't been for the need to get back to the bus, and the outstanding matter of lunch, I could have stayed there all day. The waves were tall and salty, but yet perfect for washing off our salty sweat.
We might go back to the "Mexican Riviera" sometime in the future.

iGo to the supermarket

Since the car fairy did not leave a nice new vehicle with a big red bow in our garage while we were away (although I confess I haven't actually checked yet), I signed up for iGo.
iGo is a car sharing program where you go to a website, find the car nearest you and sign it out for a couple hours. City folk may know about this, but my guess is that it's not practical in all locales.
I drove myself to the supermarket as well as to Target to replace a bum strand of Christmas lights. After a week without a car it felt like freedom! Although I've already decided that it may have eliminated a Toyota Matrix from consideration as my next permanent vehicle. Mighty touchy brakes. Jason agrees, since he is forced to be a passenger since he can't remember his driver's license number from three years ago in Ohio. (A requirement for iGo participation.) He accuses me of being the only driver who accelerates through turns like I am on the race course. It's more fun that way!