Curtain Call

At the NRB breakfast this morning I was the unexpected entertainment. During the breakfast I noticed that the man next to me had a streak of sun in his eyes. I thought I'd be helpful, so I got up and gave the curtains a gentle nudge to close them and ... 25 feet of curtains, rods and all came crashing to the floor. Everyone turned around and saw me standing in the midst of untold yards of fabric. What could I do but bow? So I did, and received an ovation.

I left breakfast early, I had another curtain call..

Not my McDonalds

I was driving into Dallas this morning and decided to stop in at McD for breakfast. I was not ready for wood walls, real tables, and grand crystal lighting. The food was still the same.

No BBQ in Memphis?

Jay said he could not find any BBQ near or on the way to the airport - but he was able to find a Cracker Barrel in Mississippi. I'm not sure how hard he looked; he loves Cracker Barrel with a deep and abiding devotion.

Lunch in Memphis

I'm in Memphis a few days for buisness. Before I left I asked a TN native for the name of a good BBQ place. Without hesitation he suggested Rendezvous - then quickly added - it's great food but a terrible neighborhood. After walking down an alley worthy of South Central LA. We walked into the restaurant and walked into their basement. The lady at the desk said that they were closed, but if we wanted ribs we could eat.

We wanted ribs, so we did eat. And how we ate. Best ribs I've had: great dry rub, cooked over oak charcoal. Other than the don't-go-there-after-dark neighborhood, it was perfect.

If I'm in Memphis with the family in the future, I'd bring them here.

For take-out via FedEx visit: Hogsfly.com

No longer shameful @ Target

I think thay are aware of all the connotations and that makes it worse. This used to be something shameful, but now you can buy clothing to assert a sinful/shameful trait.

Next from Target: Hookerware.

It says 'please'

This morning I found this sign on a huge stack of boxes. Some punctuation might help; as it reads here, the sign poster is asking the reader not to touch Dan Dumas.

Someone writing with a red pen has commented, 'I will not touch Dan Dumas'. I concure with the red writer.

I think the oringinal sign poster was Dan Dumas, and he is asking everyone not to touch the stack of boxes.

I think the red writer may have recently read a punctuation book by Lynne Truss.

33 percent

Out off sorri. I'm not sure what to say - hand lettered signs frequently have psychedelic spelling. This one is just so far from right.

Van Nuys CreepAway

We missed the first Van Nuys bus by 3 min - we saw it pull away. After waiting 30 for the bus - we've sat still for another 30 while the driver repacked the luggage to fit more people on board. We are just now at terminal 3 and the bus is full, 10 passengers standing. It's been 15 hours since we started our journey home. Cooper is out and Campbell is fading fast. If there is no traffic we should have a 35 min ride to VNY, then if we can find our car pass, it should be a quick 30 to Valencia, and rest. This year we hit the ground running - our friends from the international office are here starting Thursday, & we are having a light dinner and proper tea on Friday.

September looks calm.

The Long Road Home

We are on the start if our all day journey back to Valencia. We will be in a car, 2 planes, a bus, and another car. Our first car leg to NO we went through some heavy rain just after the 17 mile bridge.

LA? No LA!

I've lived in our near Los Angeles all my life, but I have to come to Louisana to see someone arrested and handcuffed from a restaurant. The 6 men sitting at the table next to our table left went to the parking lot and took down the 4 people who sat at a table near ours. The had them down on the ground knees in their backs, and were searched. Caused a small stir, the manager was on the PA reassuring everyone that all was fine and under control. Besides this I read about 2 drive by shootings in the paper this morning. I love how save I feel in rural America.

Mmm Food

After our swamp tour we stopped by Cane's for lunch. The only have one main dish - fried chicken strips. It is one place we always stop when we are in LA. They started in 1996 and today there are over 50. The closest to our house is in LV NV. Their sauce and sweet tea make are stand out items.

Apple Pan of New Orleans

We had lunch at The Central Grocery on Decatur in New Orleans. It is the original home of the Muffuletta - a sandwich of salami, mortadella, cheese, and an olive salad. Even Cooper liked it.
After lunch we walked through the Quarter: it has gotten much better since last year. More people visiting & more shops open. We spent some time in a shop that mokes loomed rugs - four large working looms and four crazy cats. Wonderful rugs at wonderful prices.

TSA Search

In Houston everyone had to leave the plane so the TSA could do an unscheduled sweep of our plane. No one from SWA could ever remember this being done before. Perhaps someone introduced some contraband mid-flight. I thought I heard the door open over Austin. Now were are really late. I hope we can eat soon, before our minds ache.

Air Bus

C1 & C2 enjoy the fun of the Southwest air bus. iPod movies, snacks, and games. What more could they want?

Safety features

We went to see Granpa and Metella's new car. The boys wanted to see if they could fit in the trunk. The noticed the glowing emergency trunk release and wanted to try it, but Metella would not close the trunk with them inside - she's no fun.

iPhone home

On Saturday we visited 2 Apple stores to play with the new iPhones. First stop was at the Grove - the phones were fully activated, but hardly charged (they had been in non-stop use since 9am). Kerry noted that you get purchase an iPhone or a new pair of Jimmy Choos. We decided to buy neither.

Later we took C1 and C2 to the store in Northridge - C2 played games on the Mac while C1 and I waited to use an iPhone. We had about 5min before we got the low battery warning. Kerry overheard someone in the store ask what an iPhone was - they must be from Brazil.

Springfield for dinner

We read on the internet that eleven 7-11 stores had been converted onto Kwik-E-Marts as a promotion for the new Simpson's movie. The store has been transformed; They had squishees, Buzz Cola, and other Simpson related items. The clerks have special uniforms and are all Indian (I'm sure they were hired just for this event). Fortunate for us, one of the eleven is in Burbank - so we drove on down. The boys ate hot dogs and drank squishees sitting picnic style on the sidewalk . This is just another day in our life as a road trip.

Art imitates Life

I was down in San Diego for GTY business with Jay, when we found this huge re-creation of one of Life magizine's most famous photographs.

It stands about 25 feet, and is right next to the USS Midway (retired). Perfect location.

Kerry 'Babe' Fickett

Today was the Parents vs Players game for Campbell's team. Kerry had great form while at bat. I had 1 at bat, and a brief time in left field, before my migraine sent me home.

Campbell's Piano Recital

Campbell had his first recital. He performed 'Crawling Spider' on the grand piano at the GCC chapel. Grandpa and Metella made a special trip to hear him play.