SERGEANT BECCA FROM SQUAD 1

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Happy 2009! Are you writing 2009 on your checks right now? Tell the truth. Last year was easier - you could just fudge the 7 into an 8 - but turning an 8 into a 9... harder.

I have yet to post my Florida videos. This is because I am waiting on my parents to post their pictures of the vacation on Kodak Gallery. SO DO IT.

(Really that's a lame excuse because both Rebecca and Sarah got new digital cameras for the holidays and they snapped photos of everything down to the TSA dudes. And no, that was not a very good moment for all of us.)

But I wanted to post this hilarious photo of Becca from the trip. We went to this - what do I call it - entertainment venue? amusement park? called Wannado City just outside of Fort Lauderdale. It's a place where kids try out different professions and they "earn money" that they can then spend riding the Ferris Wheel or making a bracelet or something. It's laid out like a little indoor town, you have a bank and a vet and a salon...

http://www.wannadocity.com/
(beware the very loud homepage music)

It was a very fine piece of edutainment. Of course, I still worry a bit that I am creating nerdettes. Everyone else is off skiing over holiday break and my kids are learning how to be CSI agents...

The best event at the place had to be the fake firehouse. Kids learned about fire safety and what it really takes to be a fireman. I know one little person in our house who will never forget to "stop, drop, and roll." Seriously you get to slide down the little slide when the bell rings and get into this miniature fire truck and then the ride off, sirens blazing, to a burning building (fake fire)that they get to extinguish (REAL WATER).

So this had Becca written all over it. The only thing that would have put it over the top would have been the presence of dinosaurs at the actual fire scene, but that was at a different part of Wannado City (yup you could be a paleontologist for 12 minutes).

Have you ever seen a more serious-looking and determined 1st grader in your whole life than in this photo? I think not. (also her nails were looking lovely because she and Sarah had just come from the salon - hah)

She is now convinced she wants to be a firefighter when she grows up. (Unless dinosaurs can be recreated using DNA and in that case she wants to be a dinosaur vet.)

I told her being a firefighter was a really good thing. She would be vital to society. Especially California. And of course, she would have to learn how to cook. (It was news to her that firemen spend that much time in the station and cook for each other.)

"Mom... if I cook and the firehouse kitchen catches on fire... then the firemen can put it out right there!"

Well. Yes. That's true.

2008 MEMORIES

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

When I was living with my parents, my dad would give me one of these when he thought I had procrastinated long enough at cleaning up my room or practicing the piano. Once I had a round tuit, I had no excuses and couldn't say I'll get around to it anymore!

So as my last blog act of 2008, I am putting together my highlights video from our June trip to Carmel and Monterey. There, we met up with Ted & Candice and Vica and Roma - Becca's birth siblings. Everyone had a great time just enjoying the natural beauty of California's Central Coast. And we see each other seldom enough that unstructured get-to-know-you time is key. Doesn't make for the most action packed video of all time - but some of the most heartwarming.

G'bye 2008! See you in the history books.

Music: We Are Family by Sister Sledge

HANUKAH FUN

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Becca got this animated electronic lion cub that she takes everywhere and it makes funky noises and blinks. And costs $40. We got so many things that require batteries that I think all these companies are secretly owned by Duracell.

ALEXANDER VS. THE PLANETARIUM

Saturday, December 27, 2008

All right. All of you who know me, know I am a great fan of the people. The everyman.

So every once in awhile when I find the everyman particularly funny, I feel I am allowed to share.

Today we visited a park and planetarium in Fort Myers, FL with Baba and Zada Mitchell. It was really a fun outing. A lot to do and not so bloody hot in FL that you felt like you were melting.

I had not been to a planetarium show in at least 5 years. So I was really excited for this. I didn't realize there would be such an extra bit of entertainment up front.

I should have known what we were dealing with when we first met Alexander. We were in one of the buildings on the property looking at different cages full of snakes, crabs, baby alligators, alligator eggs incubating (eeeeeek), you know. Various creatures from wild Florida. There was a giant stuffed replica of a spider (again. eek.) and my mom wanted to know if there were any spiders in separate cages for us to see.

She asked Alexander, who was passing through: "Excuse me, are there any spiders here?"

He said, "Did you see any?"

(um, no, that's why we're asking) "No, but I was wondering if there might be any."

"Well ma'am, the building is kind of old. I wouldn't be surprised if you saw one, especially around back. We've seen some really crazy spiders here. In fact, I almost got bit -"

"No, no, I'm wondering if you have an exhibit with a live spider in it."

OK really. So when he ended up being the guy who ran the planetarium show, I was prepared for something, but you can't prepare yourself for this.

Here is a reasonable facsimile of the speech Alexander gave before the planetarium show started. I can only replicate it somewhat because at some points, I could not hear him because I was laughing too hard.

"Welcome to the planetarium. I'm Alexander and I am a naturalist. I am not a planeterary specialist, or a geocological expert, or nothing like that. So sometimes the planet show doesn't work the first time, or even the second time. Actually the planetarium is out to get me. The more people that show up - and there is a lot of you all - the more likely it is that the planet show will not work. The machine likes to make me look stupid. Hey, I'm not a computer expert, I just clean up after the gators and work the planet machine. But don't worry, I am a Marine and I will troubleshoot the show and you will get to see it.

"Now it's time for the planet show, but I usually wait 5 or 6 more minutes because every time I start on time, there's always some family that gets locked out and misses it. And why do I say locked out? Because once the planet show starts, I have to lock the doors. I can let you out, but you can't come back in. Why can't you come back in? Because it's dark in here and you might fall and hurt your arm or your nose or fall and smash your face. If you bleed, that could ruin your whole day! And I have to fill out paperwork and then everyone has to wait for me to fill out the paperwork.

"So this might be a good time for all you people to go to the bathroom because if you have to go to the bathroom during the planet show, you can't come back in."

(and seriously, a bunch people then went to the bathroom)

"The best seats are going to be way up at the top so hey you little kid in the front! You should move back because the planet machine is going to block you."

(The actual show took place on the ceiling, however, so unless you were sitting directly under the projector, any seat would have been fine.)

"Now some little kids get really afraid of the dark and think there is a boogieman in here. But I have 2 black belts fourth degree, and I am a Marine so if there are boogiemen in there I will get them, don't worry about that.

"This is seriously the best planet show I have ever seen, and some people say that the voiceover sounds familiar. She's that chick from Star Trek, New Generation. And the music is by that famous composer, Sergei Something-or-other. You know, that guy."

We ran into Alexander after the show during his break and he told us that his other job is cleaning up the alligator pen and he has to sift through the alligator poop because sometimes whole fish skeletons are in there and that's cool for the museum displays. It's a dangerous job, but hey, he's a Marine. I wish I had it on film.