Moving Boxes

Forget all the fancy toys and electric gadgets.

Throw away the silly bandz and turn off the computer games. 

It took this move (and I'm not one to complain but I really do not like moving) to discover ... 

... that my kids can entertain themselves for hours (and I do mean hours) ... 

... with a couple of boxes and a broom (and their big imaginations). 

Evites: A Cautionary Tale

Did you know that when you get an Evite, the "hostess" can see exactly when you log in to read the invitation?

And she will feel snubbed for sure when you log out without replying "Yes, I'll be there!" or "Sorry, I can't make it".

Not committing at all is almost worse than saying "Sorry, I can't make it," right?

What happened to the old fashioned paper invitations we used to receive in the mail? We could put them up on the bulletin board and sleep on it before making any sort of decision, and no one was the wiser.

I'm as committed to technological advances as the next guy, until I recently threw a party via Evite and could see in real time exactly who was riding the fence on coming to my shin-dig.

Come to think of it, it's kind of like having a blog. (Don't worry, I can't see specifically WHO reads or doesn't, just how many!)

Don't Leave Your Purse on the Tram at the Atlanta Airport

Just don't.

Keep better track of your stuff when you're traveling. Because someone might take it. And even if a nice, honest person finds it and turns it in, you might never be able to track it down.

So, last Sunday I flew to Portland to house hunt (and I flew Delta so of course I had a layover in Atlanta). While chatting animatedly on my cell phone on that tram thing that goes from one terminal to another (because my connecting flight is never, ever on the same terminal), I left my purse on the tram.

Yep. Just got right off the tram with my laptop bag, my phone on my ear, my driver's license and boarding pass in my pocket, and my purse sitting on the seat.

Since I had a two-hour layover, of course I went straight to the bar. After finishing my draft beer (still talking on the phone) I went to pay the bartender and THAT's when I realized I didn't have my purse.

Fast forward: Someone graciously bought my beer (since I didn't have a dime on me). I did a ton of frantic running around asking anyone in uniform to help me. A few hysterical (in in hindsight, somewhat embarrassing) tears were shed. Finally, I realized I had no choice but to head to my gate and get on my flight. I was convinced my purse was gone forever, until I got to my gate and they were paging me! Someone had turned in my purse! Wow, what a relief, right?

It was waiting for me at Terminal D, Gate 15.

Problem was, I was in Terminal A, Gate 27, and my flight was boarding. No time to "dash" over to pick up my purse. No other flights out to Portland that day. I decided to leave my purse and pick it up on my way back through Atlanta on Thursday.

Bad idea. No one knew where it was. I kept getting:
"You just left it there?"
"Who did you talk to?"
"Did you check lost and found?"
"What happened again?"

Airport Personnel (meaning, a woman in a burgundy uniform riding one of those moving cars with the flashing lights) assured me that it would be put in a safe place, and she gave me her cell phone to call her to find out the location of said "safe place". How was I to know she would never EVER answer her cell phone.

The Lost and Found at the Atlanta airport:
1) Needs a better process for "finding" those things that are "lost".
2) Is located in the main terminal outside security so it really only works out if you live in Atlanta, are going to Atlanta on vacation or have a five hour layover.
3) Has lots of numbers to call, but very few real people to talk to.

Fortunately, I have a friend who has a cousin who works for Delta as a flight attendant. She, with her "all access" badge, walked around the Hartsfield Atlanta Airport for about three hours before finally tracking my purse down. How do I go about thanking her appropriately? She doesn't even know me.

So, moral of story. Hang on to your purse.

I Do So Keep Up With the News

You can learn a lot from People Magazine (my guilty travel pleasure, I indulged in the latest issue on my flight home yesterday).

For instance, I learned that actor Matthew Fox is also moving to Oregon now that Lost has wrapped. Strange coincidence? Or perhaps he is following my blog and is as big a fan of me as I am of him?

And did you know that there is a big Facebook Fan movement to get Cam and Mitchell from Modern Family to exchange a kiss (similar to the recent - and successful - Facebook movement to get Betty White to host SNL)? Producers of the show promise that a "public display of affection" will be addressed in season two.

Sidebar: If you aren't watching Modern Family, you really should be. (Remember back in the 90s when people were talking about Seinfeld and you just never found the time to tune in? Next thing you knew it was season three and you finally watched it and realized what you were missing? Well this is that same thing happening all over again. It is sitcom television at its finest. Witty, relevant, modern and laugh-out-loud funny.)

From this one issue, I also learned that Kate Hudson's son Ryder got a hair-cut. Finally. I was wondering what was up with that.

The Glee cast is complaining of exhaustion from 16-hour days of rehearsals and filming. Did they think starring in a show where they put on a mini-broadway act every week would be a walk in the park?

Demi Moore, 47, and her husband Ashton Kutcher are trying to have a baby. I wish them luck, however ...

Elin and Tiger will most likely split up. Wow, what a shocker. And, Jesse James reports he is "tortured with regret" and declares he wants Sandra back. Good luck with that.

And, lastly, Brangelina are still dressing that little Shiloh like a boy for reasons that remain a mystery to me.

Homes Built in the 1920s are Old.

Here I am in Portland on a whirlwind tour of homes. So far I've looked at 22 houses and toured five schools.

Here are a few things I've learned.
1. I definitely am not groovy enough to live in Portland YET. But I am a very quick study.
2. Homes built in the 1920s are very old homes.
3. In the 1920s, it had not yet occurred to home builders, evidently, that 2 bathrooms would be a nice extra for a family with kids.
4. If the listing says "original" and it was built in the 20s, I can skip this house and move on.
5. Realtors are a quirky bunch.
6. The beautiful homes priced right in the best neighborhoods go fast. Darn it anyway.

To save you some time should you find yourself moving 3,000 miles away and looking for a rental home on craigslist, here is a dictionary of terms used to describe homes for rent and what these terms really mean:

"Lively" = Liberal use of bright colors not chosen for mass appeal.
"Eclectic" = Choppy and probably un-livable layout.
"Cottage" = Tiny.
"Comfortable" = Lived in, possibly down-right messy.
"Updated" = The house actually needs to be totally renovated but we didn't have the money so we made some minor improvements. Yep, the bathrooms are still small. Nope, no walls were moved.
"Family home" = This comment has attitude. It means, "This was our family's home and now it's up for rent and if you don't like it, don't rent it. I'm not going to do the hard sell."
"Newer" = Does not fit into the popular 'brand new construction' category, nor does it fit the also popular 'super old but renovated' category. Might have wood panelling.

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