Things to do and see before you kick the bucket

I was just reading Ken's blog on MySpace at: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=253101892 He asked what we have done and seen that we think others should also experience and see before they kick the bucket. So here's my list. I hope you'll share yours with me after you read mine. The cool things I have seen and experienced that I think everyone else should see and do in their lives include: March in the New Orleans and Biloxi Mardis Gras parades. Yep, I really did march in both. I was in the Air Force Drum & Bugle Corps and I twirled flags in their flag corps. It was awesome. I'll never forget it and I am so happy that I have these memories. Serve in the US Air Force. I actually worked in SAC headquarters underground in the command post. Think the movie "War Games" with Matthew Broderick. The command post looks just like that. I also twirled flags and marched in their Drum & Bugle corps. Twirl flags and march in a band. I did so both in my high school marching band and in the US Air Force. Those were two of the best times in my life. I get all warm and giddy thinking of them. Write books. I've written and had published, many books. All are romances. Work for a charity to help the poor. What is life if we don't help others? Sure we all have our own problems, too, but why dwell on them? I'm blessed to have a full time day job working at a charity that helps the destitute poor. I wouldn't have it any other way. I've traveled to the poorest slums in the Third World (Haiti and Jamaica) in our hemisphere and whereas I wouldn't suggest doing this for fun, it is an eye-opener and helps us to realize how blessed we are and how much we can help others. Have children. I have five and although I wouldn't suggest to everyone to have this many unless you really want to, children are a blessing. They are full of love and joy and great fun. They are the future. Be married. It's not always a bed of roses, but there are many blessings to be had. See San Francisco. I love that city! I loved Fisherman's Wharf and China Town in particular. We honeymooned there and visited again several years later. This is a must-see city. Ride horses. I can't imagine never riding a horse. Althouogh I haven't had the chance to do so lately, it's awesome. Eat sushi. I turned up my nose at sushi for years. My kids thought it was awesome and they were on my back to try it and I thought there was no way that stuff would pass my lips. Finally, after many years, I tried it. Now I'm hooked. It's good to try new things and expand our universe. Thus this is an analogy to try new things. There are still many things I'd love to do and many places I'd love to see. I've not been much of a world traveler although I'd love to see the world. That's one of the reasons I joined the Air Force. But the Air Force sent me first to Biloxi, Mississippi (which I wouldn't have missed for anything) and then to Omaha, Nebraska. They sent my husband to those two places plus Northern California, Central Illinois, and Okinawa (Japan). So he saw a bit more than me, not much. I visited him in both Illinois and California so I saw all that except for Japan. I'd love to be a figure skater ice skater. I think it's so beautiful. I can do a bit, and I do mean a tiny bit, on roller skates. I took lessons as a teen for figure skating roller skating. I can do figure eights! But I didn't stick with it long enough to learn how to jump and twirl and do really fancy things. To my defence, my parents divorced about that time and life got topsy turvy. Oh well... I'd love to see my books turn into movies and also get on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. I'm working on these! *** In case you've noticed that I've not visited your blogs and that my blog posts are sporadic this past week it's because I'm having Internet problems. Actually, my computer is, not the entire house. However, it's hard to get anyone to lend me their computer. I'm on DD#1's computer today for a bit. DH let me use his but it broke and now he thinks I'm the Bermuda Triangle of computers so he's mad and doesn't want to let me on his again. I swear, I didn't do anything! Anyway, I'm going to schedule some posts ahead of time this week in case it takes awhile for me to get back online full time. I have DS#1 on the problem but he thinks my memory is full and has memory on order from ebay so it could be a week or two until it arrives and he finds time to work on it. So please don't give up on me. I'll be back to visiting everyone's blogs as soon as I can. Send your good vibes for a speedy recovery.

Ham sandwiches, tornadoes, and computers

The first night I arrived home, Dad asked me where I wanted to go and eat. I thought about Skyline Chili and Frisch's but I suspected Dad meant somewhere a bit fancier plus I can drive a couple miles down the road back in Florida and get Skyline whenever I want. I was thirsty to soak in some real Ohio flavour and I remembered a couple of our old haunts. Well, I used to get big, juicy ham sandwiches at them. The first place, Meyers, Dad doesn't even remember. I guess it's gone. The second, Les Flick's, we went to. I mentioned that a couple days ago. Well, when I went to order a ham sandwich at the end of giving the order, the waittress asked if I wanted that warm. Warm? Whoever heard of a big deli ham on rye WARM? When I told her I wanted it cold, she looked at me crosseyed. I got it but not before they made it wrong once. I have this same problem in Florida. I used to be able to stop at the Publix deli and order a COLD ham on rye with swiss and mayonnaise with no problem. In fact, that was my main lunch on a work day. A few years passed and I went to my son's Publix and tried to order one. The deli worker looked at me like I was daft. Finally, she asked me to go to the bread aisle and get a loaf of rye bread and bring it to her. Huh? Well, I did, and I got my sandwich, but I didn't bother to repeat the process. What is so frickin' hard about getting a decent ham sandwich? It used to be easy. Of course I can make them at home and take them to work with me...that's if the kids don't eat all the ham the first night we bring it home which is what usually happens. I'm tempted to buy the fixings and store them in the fridge at work - however, that's no guarantee as people take other people's lunches. Knock on wood, it's never happened to me yet, but to plenty of other people. Dad's internet wouldn't let us on yesterday. Well, it did for a few minutes early in the morning. I was in the middle of commenting on Amarinda's blog when it dropped out. It wouldn't work for the rest of the day. Finally, Dad called tech support this morning and got it back up. But that's not the end of my computer woes. My lap top cord broke right after I got here. Wouldn't you know? We called around to every computer place we could find in the phone book and none of them have it in stock. By the time I special order it and it arrives I might be back home. Bugger bugger. So I'm stuck using Dad's computer which is very slow - plus I can't sit in the same room with him and I'm here to be with him. So I won't be on the computer too much for the next week and a half. Lastly, there were tornadoes in the area last night. Not in Dad's county but not too far away so we were keeping an eye on the news. We don't typically get bad tornadoes in South Florida - only when hurricanes bring them and then you get a few days warning. I'd forgotten how nerve wracking tornado warnings can be. I'd forgotten to even listen for them as I don't have to in Florida. There's a bad thunderstorm here now, so I need to pop on TV and make sure there's no tornado warnings as well.