A Quick Trip

It's taken me several days but I think I'm finally starting to recover from a whirlwind visit to West Virginia. I left my house around 5:15 on Sunday morning and I got back somewhere around 7:30 on Monday night. In between,I was able to see the great play and I got to spend a little time with Rachael.

I drove down and back with my sister, Laura. I think the last time I went on any kind of a trip with her was with the whole family - and that is probably around 45 years ago- maybe more.

It was good to see Rachael. And as I mentioned, we got to see her in an excellent play. Afterwards we went out to dinner and then went our separate ways for the little that remained of the evening.

The following morning we went to Antietam National Park. It was a short visit and one I wouldn’t mind making again someday, but I needed to get back, so we only spent an hour or so there.

We brought Rachael back to her room and left for the long, long ride home. Here are a few exciting pictures...

 Spotted this sign when we made a pit stop on the way down. Luckily, it took under thirty minutes to use the bathroom. Although, technically, it looks like the thirty minute rule only applies if you're "consuming food". I see no mention of bathroom restrictions.

 The lavish suite wasn't quite ready when we arrived, so Laura and I killed some time at a nearby grocery store. I had hoped to find some slices of country ham to bring back, but no luck. They did, however, have six-packs of crabs. Unfortunately, I'm not a crab eater.

 We killed a little more time by walking through town. Here's a picture of Laura taking a picture of a street.

 Here's a picture of Laura taking a picture of some birdseed.

 Finally, it was check-in time. Note that this was a deluxe room, which included something they called a "Q Shower".

 After checking in, it was off to see the play.

 Here's a picture of Laura taking a picture of a wall.

 After the play, we went to dinner. And after dinner, Laura played pinball.

After dinner and after pinball, it was time to go back to the hotel. A thunderstorm was rolling in and there were flashes of lightning everywhere. See that cloud? Picture it with flashes of lightning. Cool, right?

On Monday, we went to Antietam. The day was starting off hot. Sunday had been in the mid-nineties. Monday was predicted to be hotter. Here's a picture of Rachael defending her patch of shade from Laura.

And lastly, here's a picture of the battlefield, looking South.

And from there, we headed home.

Tonight's Question

Is there anything better than coming home from a trip and being greeted at the door with a smile and a hug and being told, "I missed you"?

Deal of the Day

If you've been looking for an Avengers waffle maker, now's your big chance!

I kind of wonder who comes up with these ideas.

FYI

Whoa.

Tonight's Non-Video

A Brief Update

I suspect I won't be writing anything for at least a little while.
Hopefully see you soon.

One More Time

Ok, one last post about the fireworks, then I’ll move onto something more interesting (maybe).

I'm posting a few photos so you can feel all of the excitement as if you were actually there (minus the smells and sounds of the crowd)!

The problem is, unfortunately, I can never seem to master the technique of pressing the shutter at the right time. Usually, I have a tendency to press the shutter too late, which tends to give pretty underwhelming results. Here are just a few of many, many examples:

Then, once I suspect I have a problem, I overcompensate and I start clicking the shutter way too early:

Cool rocket launch effects, but not the dramatic fireworks explosion I was shooting for.

I'm not sure whether these next few fall under the "Clicked Too Soon" or "Clicked Too Late" category:

And this one, for whatever reason, is kind of a mess:

This one's kind of cool:

It's not a particularly impressive fireworks shot, but if you use your imagination, it looks a little like some kind of tentacled alien space monster, getting ready to swoop down and eat everyone in the crowd - except me and select members of my family.

Here's a couple that I would classify as "Almost Normal":

Finally, here's a couple of photos taken of the mad rush of people leaving the fireworks. Everyone is in a hurry to get back to their cars in order to "beat the crowd".

These are a little blurry because it is hard to take photos with one hand, while walking as fast as you can and pushing people aside, with the other hand.

I've never understood why there are so many cars heading in the opposite direction of all the people leaving. I kind of resent the fact that maybe they know something I don't.

Anyway, there you have it. I promise not to write anything else about the fireworks, until next time.

Overtime

I'm sitting here waiting for the phone repair person to show up. They gave me a "window" of between 8:00 to 12:00. It is now 12:30.

I'm thinking they missed the window.

Late Update: I just received a text that says, "Your service request is scheduled for today. The Technician's estimated arrival is between 11:45AM-12:24PM." It is now 12:40.

Later Update: It is now 1:00. Nothing. Maybe the phone company should give their technicians a phone, so they can call their customer when they're running late.

Even Later Update: 1:45: Still nothing.

Even Later Late Update: It is now 2:05. I have just gotten off the phone with the phone company ("Helpful" automated version). When I called the first time the line was so filled with static that it could not detect the number I was calling from. The static was on their end.

I called back and the recording asked me if this was the number I was calling from. I said yes, and had to run through a few more automated questions before I finally got to a menu that asked me if I was confirming my appointment, now scheduled for 3 o'clock. I of course had the option to cancel or reschedule - and thus risk wasting another entire day. Therefore, I am sitting here for another hour or so, waiting, possibly in vain, for somebody to show up.

Even Later Than a Later Late Update: I just got off of the phone with the dispatcher from the phone company. He called me, and apologized if he was the first person I had heard from today. No kidding. It is now 2:45. He also asks me if I would like to reschedule, to be the first appointment for tomorrow morning. I tell him no, because I do not wish to miss another day at work. I do not tell him that I don't trust what he is telling me, and that this will somehow bleed into next week. He puts me on hold for approximately three minutes and I listen to blaring, staticy muzak.

Finally, he comes back on and tells me the technician's name (Gary). He ends the phone call by telling me that the technician is on his way and should be here within the hour, and he apologizes once again.

As I hang up, an email arrives. It's a Customer Satisfaction Survey. It begins with the line, "We're interested in hearing your feedback about the Verizon service you received."

Another Late Update: 4:05: Gary shows up. I explain the problem. For some reason, he has already shut off my service, "to identify the line", I think he says. He say's he needs to get a couple of things at the office and should be back in 10-15 minutes.

Final (I Hope) Update: Gary was back by 4:30. Just before he got back, the next door neighbor was over, asking what was going on. Turns out, the neighbor has almost the exact same problem with his phones.

Anyway, when Gary got back, he said he cut some excess wiring from either end of the lines - down by some streets whose names I don't recognize. Apparently, according to New Best Friend Gary, these lines were corroded. He tested it by calling my home phone several times, each time ringing normally for the first time in over a month. Problem solved!

Now, for that questionnaire...

Why I Hate the Fireworks

Well, not it’s so much that I hate the fireworks, it’s that I hate the crowds.

I don’t like being squeezed into little plots of land, with strangers inches away from me in all directions.

I don’t like listening to people around me swearing around their little kids. And I hate the cigarette smoke, and I hate knowing that those little kids are breathing in that cigarette smoke at home.

I hate seeing people that wear sweatshirts that show an assault rifle and say things like, "Ban Morons, Not Guns" - like this is somehow profound.

Other than things like that, I like the fireworks.

Years ago, I would make popcorn, and put it in little brown bags for each of them. And the kids would grab their little plastic chairs and maybe a blanket, and we would walk with our flashlights and glow sticks to the parking lot at the end of our street, where we would watch the fireworks being set off a half a mile away.

Now though, it’s been so long that the distant trees have grown and they partially block the view.

But it was an adventure and a lot of fun.

In fairness though, I could just stay home. But Sam likes going, and I'm glad of that. I know he doesn't like the crowds and he doesn't like the cigarette smoke, but he goes because he likes watching the fireworks.

And he likes that we still bring popcorn.

Tonight's Festivities

Every year I say this is the last year, and then I forget - until the next year.

And then I remember.

Friday Night Video

I think it's been at least a week  since I posted a sad Emmylou song. I'm falling behind.

Now I Can Exhale

I may have mentioned that Sam and I drove Helaina her boyfriend to her boyfriend's parents house about a month ago.

And I may have mentioned that they were going to leave the next day for a long planned trip to Europe.

What I didn't mention - to you or anybody else - was that on the ride back from dropping Helaina off, the news came on the radio, and it was all about warnings to Americans traveling to Europe, and the elevated terror threat.

Naturally, I handled this pretty well- just like I handled it pretty well the couple of dozen other times I heard it throughout the month.