Cruise Contol

I am going to interrupt my ongoing China blog to catch you up to speed with my real life When I came home from the cruise, I decided it was time to get back in the game, so I went on the ever dreaded dating site, match.com. After I had filled out all the questionnaires that would make up my profile, and hit send I regretted it. Do I really want to go through all this again? Well no sooner do I hit send then the winks start coming in. For those of you not in the date site loop, a wink on match is to let someone know you are interested in them. The first wink come from someone in Arizona. I let him down gently by letting him know with the cost of fuel on the rise I wasn't filling my Lear jet as often as I was. I figure if I couldn't make a go of it with someone down the street, Arizona was out of the question. Match is sooo different from e-harmony, in that people are in contact with you right away. A friend of mine described it as, drinking water from a fire hose. After a few "put me out of my misery" phone conversations, and abrupt e-mails concerning my rudeness, I wondered what the hell I had gotten myself into. ....and then there was Tom.

Out At Sea

For the first day and 1/2 we were out in the South China Sea. The weather was brisk and damp, so laying by the pool was not an option.....actually being outside was not an option. There are plenty of other things to do while on board. Maura opted to learn bridge, I went to a yoga class and then to a group trivia challenge. These activities were replayed each day we were at sea. They also had an ongoing puzzle, 3 revolving movie choices that played in your suite, and any other wheelchair bound activity you can imagine. They had a spa on board, but Maura and I both agreed we would look for the $12.00 massage in town, as opposed to the $160.00 on board.
Our 2nd evening on board was the Formal Night, and Maura and I had been invited to sit at the Co-Captain's table. Now when I say formal, I mean the men were in black tie and the ladies dressed to the 9's. I wore a red dress, and just keep putting on faux pearls. When I go on holiday it is not to dress up and wear my best baubles. When traveling to a 3rd world country I don't even bring my real gems.....anyway, dinner was delicious.
After dinner, which ended at 10:00pm, we went to watch a magic show. Maura took us up to the front row, and everyone knows what happens when you sit in the front row. This magician was very different from the one I assisted in my early 20's. He was more into card tricks, then pulling rabbits out of hats, and sawing women in half. Well surprise, surprise in his third set he asks for my assistance. I have never been shy in front of a crowd, so up I go. I, of course, am still in my formal wear which includes 3 1/2 inch heels. I get in front of the crowd and am wobbling with every pitch of the boat. I say "Oh, I'm a bit tippy", well the crowd loves it, thinking I meant to say "tipsy". The magician runs with it, so the rest of the show I think the crowd is more interested in whether I'm going to fall or not. Maura and I were the only 2 who knew I hadn't had a drop to drink.

All Aboard.

I have been on 5 or 6 cruises, and as a rule they are not my favorite form of travel. The Seabourn Cruise Line is by far the nicest Cruise Line I have been on. The bedrooms were actually suites, a sleeping area, as well as a sitting area. The closet was a walk in, and the bathroom had a sunken marble tub. For having to be in the same room for 2 weeks, this was not

a bad place to be.

Where???

Maura and I get back to the hotel with enough time to question the concierge, hop in a cab and go to one of the nicest "Foot Salons" in Hong Kong. At least that's what we thought. When the cab dropped us off, there was a small Chinese woman with fliers for foot massage, along with any other type of massage you may have been looking for. Why would she need to advertise right in front of her own salon? In the universal sign for follow me, Maura and I did. We both assumed she was taking us to the Foot Palace, but why is it so far from where the cab let us off? We followed her for about 1/4 mile and thought maybe we should have kept the cab. I have no doubt that if we had been much younger, we would now be at the feet of some Sultan in Dubai.
We finally make it to a Foot Place as opposed to Palace. What a difference a letter makes. We both sat down and began a 45 minute foot and leg massage. As massages go, it wasn't too bad.
Maura's masseur spoke english and explained all the pressure points as he worked on her. I, of course, just smiled and shook my head. By the end of this trip I will be know as a Bobble Head. The last 10 minutes we got a neck and shoulder massage. Maura's neck wasn't right for the rest of the trip.

Open Market

No trip to Hong Kong is complete without a trip to one of the many open aired markets. Now we didn't get to see frogs on grills, but I'm sure they were there. We only had limited time because we had to be back to the hotel by 2 for our ride to the port. So Maura and I spent about 2 hours scouring the treasures of the Orient. That was just about an hour and 45minutes more than I needed. Maura is a shopper. More on that later.

While we were cruising the market wares, we kept seeing signs with 2 feet on them. We guessed them to be the universal sign for foot massage, or pedicure. After going on about 6 wild foot chases, and I do mean wild, through alleys, up rickety staircases, down into basements, we decided to head back to the hotel and talk to the concierge about a decent foot masseur.

Running on Empty

We made it. Off the plane, through customs and to our luggage. May I just tell you that when you have traveled this far, and land in a foriegn country, there is nothing better than to see someone with a sign that has your name on it. Our driver loaded us in our limo, and took us to our 5 star hotel. It was probably about 7:45pm when we arrived. We were greeted with tea in our room. It was served in a basket container, which Maura proceeded to spill all over the floor. Remember now, she was next to a 2 year old for 16 hours.
Once we had some tea, we decided to see what the night life had to offer. It's Saturday night. Maura has been up for 32 hours and I am not exactly running on all cylinders. So we walk about 3 blocks, and head back to the hotel. We decided to have some dim-sum in the lounge while listening to the piano player tickle the ivories. How old am I?

Hong Kong or Bust

Finally the day arrived when it was time to go. Thank God for Kris, who didn't think twice when I asked for a ride to the airport at 5am. My flights are always at such ungodly hours. I would also like to thank God for Valerie, who equipped me with ambien for the flights going and coming home. At this point I would just like to tip my hat to Sara, who has done this flight with 2 girls under the age of 4. You should be canonized. The flight to San Francisco was a breeze. When we boarded the flight to Hong Kong, a passenger in front of me wanted to see if anyone around her would switch seats, so she could have her sister near her. Maura and I had opposite aisle. I didn't see any harm in changing seats, so I switched. Little did I know her sister came with a 2 year old.

So while Maura is in the back looking for extra space in the overhead storage to stuff the reincarnate of Rosemary's baby, I am nestled in my aisle seat with an open middle seat sleeping like the dead. No good deed......

A Night To Remember

The night before heading on any of my trips is usually pretty quite. The pups have been shipped off to their temporary homes, and I have time to get all the odds and ends together for a timely departure.
Take off to Hong Kong was slightly different. Ellen and Lenny, who are taking care of Harper, lost their power in the most recent ice/snow storm to hit Maryland. When power is out for a few hours it's one thing, they had been without power for close to 18 hours when they asked if they could come over. I didn't have to think twice about it, of course you can. The nice thing about having close friends is you don't have to entertain them in a situation like this. They both knew I had a bunch to do, so they settled in doing whatever, while I flitted through the house talking to myself.
About 3 hours later I get a call from another friend, her husband needs to use the shower. Sure, tell him to come on over, the more the merrier. I've met her husband twice before and he is a doll, but I don't really have time for this. Thank heavens for Ellen and Lenny. Ellen made dinner, and Lenny entertained Martin while I bid adeau, for an early morning flight.

Are You Excited?

I never really get excited about going on a trip until I am on the plane. There is so much to do before locking up the house. Packing is usually a pain, but because I am packing summer wear, I just had to go into my spare closet and get whatever I wanted to wear out.
The real nemesis of this trip has been the weather. I always give the pups a bath before they go to stay at their designated families house. Because I have Scout now, they are going to 2 different homes. Ellen and Lenny always took care of Harper and Bear, but they have not had a chance to meet Scout yet, and they have a dog of their own. No sense in ruining a friendship.
Yesterday they were calling for snow, but not until late afternoon. I went to get my hair and nails done, and had every intention of taking the pups to "Muddy Paws". Muddy Paws is this great place you can take your pups and have them bathed or bathe them yourself. This is a shot before their bath. Notice how calm and unsuspecting they look.

Even when Old English Sheepdogs are in there shortest coat, they are a handful in the tub. The nice thing about taking them to Muddy Paws is you use their towels, their shampoo, their water, and their blow drier, which I should add is so strong you can actually see the water spray off the coat when you use it. They also have staff that could wash one while I take care of the other. I get to Muddy Paws around 3:00, still wearing flip-flop, so I don't smudge my "Passion Pink" toenails. I arrive to a closed due to the weather sign. #*@^! So now a 2 hour job turns into the rest of Wednesday. I am not happy. You probably are asking why I waited so long. In this type of weather if I bathed the pups last week, because of the mud and damp ground, you would never have known by drop off date.

Scout is first in. This is the first bath I have given him, but was certainly not his first bath. He was so calm, I actually think he was enjoying himself, but hey, what guy wouldn't like getting lathered up by me. Shampoo, rinse, condition, rinse, dry off, shake water on any wall within a mile radius, towel dry again, start to blow dry and comb out. 2 hours later start on Harper, repeat. While Harper was in the shower I got a phone call between the conditioning and rinse cycle. It was mistake answering that call. Harper was still soaked and took off down stairs. So now not only are all the walls wet, Harper has drenched the carpet with her Ugg like wet paws. I have to drag her back up the steps and pull my back out. Find a happy place, find a happy place. 3 hours later both Harper and Scout are partially dry, but fresh as daisies. I, on the other hand, have swallowed 4 Alleve, washed down 10 walls, vacuumed the entire house, put 16 towels in the washer, and gone to bed with a heating pad. This is why I don't get excited until I am the plane.

Masters Swim Class

I have a good friend that I do triathlons with that has talked me into joining the Masters Swim Club. She has been trying to get me into this group for close to 2 years, but I always had an excuse. I have been in the pool when Masters practice and I know how tough the workout can be, but believe it or not that is not what has kept me from joining. The Club meets 3 nights a week from 8-9:30pm. That's right PM, the start time is about 30minutes after my crawl into bed time.
The 1st workout was very gentle, probably to keep the dropout rate to a minimum. We also had a meeting ahead of time to go over what we can expect for the next 20 weeks, which cut pool time down to about 45minutes. The majority of this group all do triathlons, and are here to improve on their swim stroke. Judging by the lane I've been put in I have alot of improving to do. Speed has never been a priority for me, I swim because it clears out all the nonsense I carry in my head. It has always been more therapeutic than speed demon for me. I am afraid that Master Swim will be to swimming what spinning is to biking. But you know what? I am diving in head first.

EBay City

When I closed Woofs & Whiskers the groomer down the street came in the Tuesday before I was locking my doors, and said "What ever you don't sell I will buy". This included everything except the dreaded Webkinz. So here I am, with close to 500 darling little adoptable stuffed dogs and cats. This photo does not include 7 unpacked, but labeled boxes. I am trying to pretend to be organized.I have donated cases to "Toys for Tots",the child oncology department at Mercy Hospital and various homeless shelters. This is why I am at the manageable number of 500plus.

I have now taken to ebay. I am sure there is a world out there where ebay savvy people exist, I have yet to enter their realm. At my first selling point I did not realize you can put your item on for 1 day, 3 days, 5days, 10 and so on. So... instead of a quick turnover of 1-3 days, I had to wait out 10 days to sell maybe 2 items out of the 68 posted. Aaahh yes... 2 out of 68. I am not even going to go into how long the posting of said 68 items took me. If at first you don't succeed......

I give it a second go round, lower prices, shorten days and find a relist key that does it all for you. My selling record is still nothing to brag about, 28 items sold out of 187 listed, but I am at least at the door of EBay Savvyville. Whatever I have not sold, one way or another, will be donated next holiday season.

Deep.

I don't know who reads my blog aside from Sara and Rachel. They are the only 2 who leave comments, so I know they follow along with my usually mundane life. I try not to post anything too personal for fear someone may find a chink in my armor. Someone may discover I'm not always at the top of my game, I have needs and feelings that are never worn on my sleeve.
I have some amazing friends and 2 sisters that are always there if I find the need to share my innermost sentiments. My problem is I rarely do, which brings me to this post.

About 2 weeks ago, I made an appointment for a massage. With working out, catering and all the other little things my body has been through I felt like I was due. I have not had a massage since Donna gave me one for my birthday in August, and that was given by a women in her 7th month of pregnancy. Enough said.
I am a true believer that massage not only relaxes and rejuvenates, but also moves your inner chi and balances chakras. I was going for a nice deep tissue, and David always uses stones. Aaahh!! I never consider massages sexual, but they are definitely sensual. While on the table I was reminded how much I miss being touched. At one point when David was stretching my arm our fingers were interlaced so he could pull just so, my eyes filled with tears. Luckily I was face down. It's been close to a year since my last relationship. I really have not been anxious to get back out there. Now I find myself making up excuses. I didn't really want to go through the holidays with someone new, now I don't want to get involved before my trip to Asia. It's not really the sex I miss, it's the closeness. The hugs and holding, the reading in bed together, the coffee in the morning and the laughing. I have processed all these feeling for nearly 11 months and I know that I am worthy of someones love, I just need to kiss a few more frogs. Until then, I am scheduling my massages alot closer together.

Meet Scout!

It has been one year since I lost Bear, and I always said that if I'm meant to have another dog it will just happen. Well it has.

2 weeks ago I got a call from a friend telling me that Winslow's brother needed a new home. OMG!! A 3 1/2 year old Old English Sheepdog, pick of his liter, needs a new place to live. The reason he was being let go by his old family was because they have since had a 2 legged baby and Noah nipped her. I don't know all the specifics leading to the nip, but even I know you don't leave an 18 month old baby with a 100 pound dog unattended. Anyway the parents could not take the risk of it happening again. The parents of Noah called a friend of mine, who in turn, called me. He got along great with Harper, which was a prerequisite.

I switched his name to Scout, because "NO" is a word used often in my house. I was afraid Noah was a little too close to that, and I would spend a fortune on therapy. There has to be a city named Scout somewhere, in the meantime he fits perfectly on Mockingbird Court with Harper.

'Tis the Season....

It's Holiday Party time.....which means a few extra dollars catering. I have known Val Brady for 34 years. We first meet when we both worked together at "Fran O'Briens". Val now has her own catering company and whenever she needs someone to tend bar, I am her go to girl. This time a friend of mine needed a caterer and Val got the job.

I have known Donna and Alan for about 2 years now. They travel to South Africa every winter and I take care of their two dogs. They are such wonderful people. They have had such an extraordinary life, but remain humble.

Their home is something out of Architectural Digest. They have acquired artifacts from all around the world and their home is the perfect showcase. Once again my photos do not do justice.

The party was from 2-4, which was shorter than the time it took to setup and break down. Donna is very sensible, "It's after lunch and before dinner, we won't need tons of food". She and Alan also hired a pianist to play all the great old classics, with a few White Christmas's for the holiday theme. It was the perfect touch.

Val's table, as always, looked scrumptous. Crab dip, prime rib sliders ,cheeses from around the world (Whole Foods), fresh salmon, and sweet bite size treats from one of the best local bakeries. Everyone loved the food.

I had to throw this last photo in because I am such of fan of oriental carpets. Theirs come from Turkey, South Africa and a number of other countries. Mine came from Arnold.

Black Cloud

I pride myself on being a positive person. I am a firm believer that if you are positive, you attract positiveness and positivity. Well in the last month it seems like a black cloud has attached itself to me, but I am staying upbeat to get through it.

No sooner do I blog about polarized sunglasses taking the place of love then my sunglasses crack at the nose. This would be understandable if I sat or stepped on them, but I pulled them out of my pocket to run my errands du jour and voila. I'm guessing the gods did not appreciate my comparison with love. I have sent them back to Maui Jim's with 10.00 and fingers crossed.

Next I am heading up to bed for the evening with a full glass of water, and see something on my desk that needs to go upstairs with me. I grab it with the same hand that my water is in and 2 seconds later the full glass of water is saturating my 11 month old Apple Macbook.

F...!!!! I wipe everything down as I watch the screen fade to black. I continue with the toweling off, cursing my butter fingers. I go to bed promising my first born to all the computer gods.

The next morning I turn the computer on, and the screen comes up and I am over the moon. One week later I insert a disc and nothing happens except a funny noise coming from within. I take the computer into the Apple Store and explain the details to the clerk. He sends it to the Apple repair store. The next day I get a call explaining that my computer has been....and I quote, "Catastrophically Compromised". The mother board will cost 800.00 to replace. They send it back....still compromised.

Now losing the apple is no big deal. It was always more computer than I would ever master. It was all the photos and music that it contained. All my trips..... Panama, Costa Rica, Tuscon, Hawaii and all my weekend getaways in between. I have come close to calling Terry a few times for a disc, but I'm sure he can do without that, so I won't bother him. I never really blogged about those trips, so I don't even have blog photos. Oh well...

I have since bought a Toshiba with Windows and love it. I actually know how to use all the extras.

This whole experience has made me miss the good old days. When I used to spill things on my desk all I had to worry about were a few pages sticking together. Some of my old address books are priceless.

There have been a million other little inconvieneces, but I have spent enough time whinning. I will now go put my big girl panties on and start my day.

Do you like my new shoes?

Farewell My Friend.

Donna and I spent a lovely evening with friends for Thanksgiving. The conversation was lively and we even got to sneak in a game of pool with the boys. There was plenty of food and we both came home with full bellies. We hit the hay early, because Donna had an early flight home.
They say, "Home is where the heart is", and I think this trip made it clear for Donna, that Apalachicola is now home. I am truly happy that Donna has found a happiness in Florida that eluded her here. The quaint, quiet lifestyle just fits her perfectly. She has settled in like a puppy to it's litter mate, and I for one am thrilled. Happiness often by passes those who make a lifetime searching for it. This story has a happy ending.
I am just glad for skype, email, facebook, phones and scrabble..... even with all that I can't help but feel a small void. Love you.

Party On.

The day after Donna's birthday celebration at the Chart House, Donna and I went to a friends house to celebrate their birthday...oh yeah, Donna's too.

Mick and Gisella went to South America on the mission with us. Actually Gisella is the driving force behind most of the Colombia mission work. We had a wonderful evening talking about missions past and one coming up in August. This mission will take us to Cuzco, Peru.

As much as I would like to polish off my halo, and say this is a totally altruistic move on my part, the truth is Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail have been on my bucket list for awhile now. And hey...if I can do a little good along the way, why not? Mick and Gisella had hiked the trail and had photos to prove it. Donna has already said that she would be taking the train, 1st Class no less. I feel like if I took the train I would be missing out on an adventure of a lifetime. Of course it's easy to feel like that now, I'm sure around day 2 of hiking straight uphill,sleeping outside, not bathing and barely being able to breathe in that impossible altitude, I will be rethinking my need for adventure. Anyone out there want to join me?

The Never Ending Birthday.

Donna celebrated her 50th year on earth November 12th, but because she didn't get back to Maryland until the 17th, the celebration continues. I know I have been guilty of celebrating my birthday for more than one day, so hey, party on!!!

On Tuesday evening "the girls", Donna, Donna's sister Ellen, Kris and I went to the Chart House, so Ellen and Kris could send out birthday wishes. I know I have mentioned before how comfy the atmosphere is in the lounge area of the Chart House, so comfy in fact that we decided to have dinner there as well as cocktails and apps. It is always great to have dinner with friends, but when those friends are also sisters, it just turns the fun meter up a few notches. What better way to end the perfect evening than with "Birthday" lava cake? 4 spoons please.

A Rolling Stone.....

Donna has not stopped since arriving back in Maryland. Saturday after her seminar, she came home, freshened up and then we both headed out to meet her step-sons at Chevy's for dinner.

Her boys are both wonderful young men. The conversation was lively, while steering clear of Jose, Donna's soon to be ex. Peter, the younger of the 2 boys, is living with Jose, so it may not have been as easy as it seemed. Dinner was delish. Most of us had the sizzling fajita plates, mine was portabello and asparagus. Yummy.

The following day when I went to put my jacket on to walk Harper, I could smell the onions from the night before permeated in the fabric of my jeans and jacket. So today I'll be doing laundry while Donna is in her lecture series. Could my life be any more stimulating?

....And How Was You're Day?

Donna signed up for a medical seminar while she is here. It is something she needs to do every 4 years to keep updated on her RN status. So while Donna is headed to Alexandria for her day of lectures, I head to Morgan Gerard's to learn about the 400 different facials you can get.

I get home at 3 and decide to rake the leaves. Donna gets home and tells me she learned how to insert an intravenous line into the bone. Intraosseus.......Can you imagine? Directly into the bone, it can make the difference between life and death. It was fascinating to hear about. In the mean time I'm learning how to make a hair appointment. I guess it beats asking if they would like fries with their meal.