<p>That did the trick. Thanks aries.</p>
<p>BHappymom, last week a nurse was telling the dietician the same exercise-It gives me something to do in the elevator and stairwells,hope no cameras are there.</p>
<p>Just catching up after sobering up from the 4000 post coronation ceremony and celebration, followed by a brief respite in rehab (translation: went to visit aging parent whose computer/internet connection leaves a bit to be desired).
Hard to watch parents age less than gracefully. Are we looking at our own future? Pour me a double.</p>
<p>Another need for a tall and frosty. Sad, sad, tragic story of a HS senior at younger s’s school lingering for about a week after a severe car crash before succombing to the consequences of his severe head injury. The (almost) worst part- his airbag deployed and he was wearing his seatbelt, but his car was struck again by another car at rapid speed (after he was t-boned and sent into oncoming traffic), hurling his car head on into another car AFTER the airbag deflated following the first hit. So, the impact from the second hit, with no airbag protection, is what caused the head trauma. The ABSOLUTE worst part is that his dad just happened to come by the accident scene to see his son unconscious at the wheel, the doors jammed shut, waiting for the jaws of life to pry him out. I cannot imagine how awful that must have been. </p>
<p>So here I sit while younger s. has headed off to his homecoming dance. He was up at the crack of dawn today to take a practice SAT (yes, this is the slacker son who did this… as part of his SAT prep). Anyway, after 4 hours of that drudgery, he came home, finalized his plans, gussied up and headed out, smelling like he showered in an entire bottle of cologne. First they are off to dinner (an intimate crowd of 20 or so, last I heard), then off to the dance, and then to partake in post-dance food consumption again. They are scheduled to have an all-night party at someones house near school (they all have a midnight driving curfew, and school is 30 miles away). Assuming the all-nighter doesn’t fall through (a few of the mothers of girls were a little non-plussed at the idea, even though the host of the party is a girl and her mom), he then plans to go directly tomorrow morning to someone’s house 10 miles north of here (remember, he is currently 30 mi south of here at the homecoming dance/party thing) to participate in a day of paintball. He then plans to drive home tomorrow afternoon, having had little, if any sleep. Needless to say, I am NOT happy (gee, hubby doesn’t see what I am concerned about. Grrrr!!!) I have asked that he come home tomorrow morning and let me drive him to/from the paintball event so he doesnt have to drive any further having had no sleep. But to him this would be absolutely HUMILIATING. I, on the other hand, keep playing that awful accident I described above over and over in my head. Please, keep the bottles on the bar. Don’t bother to put them away. Just keep pouring…</p>
<p>jym626 - What a sad story. </p>
<p>I hope the Marmots took note of your call of maternal woe and kept your DS’s eyes open and foot gentle on the old accelerator… meanwhile…Bartend’ keep jym626 topped up…:)</p>
<p>thanks, Bhappymom.
Update on the weekend: S. slept at the girls house where the all nite party was <em>supposed</em> to be, but all the other girls (except for the “hostess”) bailed and went to another girl’s house nearby (actually the house of s’s date :eek: ). I don’t get it, but I don’t ask too many q’s or he slams shut like a bank vault. He claims he got 3 hrs of sleep. Came home at about 8:30 this morning, and headed out to paintball at 11:30. He says he’ll be home by 7. I have about 2 1/2 more hours. Keep 'em coming, barkeep.</p>
<p>If anyone is interested, there was a website set up when the young man’s accident first happened, with daily updates, information about his status,his passing, the funeral, with daily posted words of support, etc. It is heart wrenching. If you wish, take a look, and kiss your kids. Life is too fleeting.
<a href=“http://www.robcart.com/henry/[/url]”>http://www.robcart.com/henry/</a>
If the password and login aren’t automatically there, they are his first name (henry), and his last name.</p>
<p>Bumpers – rescued from Page 2 ignominy. </p>
<p>I made it my mission last night to compare Chocolatinis from one end of the Four Seasons to the other. I parked my muumuu in an overstuffed chair and listened to Hawaiian Elvis sing “Can’t Help Falling in Love” –Thank you very much.</p>
<p>We’re sailing to Lana’i today without the use of my arm flaps as spinnakers. It’s supposed to be a three-hour tour. I hope I get to sit next to Lovey and Mr. Howell! SluggSr has requested a seat next to Ginger. If we’re not back in three weeks, start at the Four Seasons Maui and follow the trail of chocolate swizzle sticks.</p>
<p>Wish you were here! ~Sluggy Aloha!</p>
<p>Aloha to you too Slugg. I spent a week at the Four Seasons on the Big Island. Indulgence can be very good for the soul, if not always for the butt:).</p>
<p>And Jym - couldn’t log in to the page, but condolences all the same. Glad S made it home in one piece.</p>
<p>Alu-
Sorry the login didnt work. I forget if it asks for login ID and pwd, but the first line is “henry” and the second is “cart”. It should open with no problem.
It is very gut-wrenching.</p>
<p>jym - thank you for the new password info. I also had tried and not been able to log in, but was successful now. Yes, it is hard to see and listen to Henry’s story without deep sadness and profound gratitude that we can still hug our own. My heart goes out to you and yours. When you can handle the irreverance, SA is always here. But the barflies can be kind and supportive too, as I well know.</p>
<p>jmmom-
Thanks for the kind words, and the everpresent supportive barflies. I wish I was in Hawaii with sluggy, but she’ll have to soak up the rays and the booze for all of us. </p>
<p>Sorry I wasn’t too clear on the pwd and login for Henry. I knew that dad’s first name was rob and last name was Cart, but didnt remember that wasn’t apparent to everyone. I was also wanting not to blast his personal info all through SA with a bullhorn, but then again maybe this deserves to be shouted. Wait, I am bumming everyone out. Sorry. Lets think about sluggie in a sarong and grass skirt… there, smiles come to our faces.</p>
<p>Off to go deal with the repair people at my house. I have determined that the job of the contractor is to slough off and make excuses for his subcontractors. And to ask for more money. Is it happy hour yet?</p>
<p>Bump :)</p>
<p>Sybbie has invited people with acceptances (already!) to come on over to SA to celebrate…now how would they every find us all the way over on page two!</p>
<p>Should the Coast Guard be called out for Slugg yet?</p>
<p>Wahhhhhhhhhaaaaa! Later, I’ll rewrite my post about dolphin and human parents. I have been timed out, AGAIN! I’m not used to posting on SluggSr’s laptop where I have to log in and give my password and all that…then, I have to remember to copy and save before I try to post. If I run out of time, I lose my post, and it’s just not very Aloha to swear at a laptop at the Four Seasons in Maui. </p>
<p>%$@@!!!&**##! I feel better now. Sluggy alohas! 
</p>
<p>If you drink enough mai tais then when you swear at your laptop you will just mumble nonsense and no one will know what you are saying…</p>
<p>I am dying to hear about dolphin vs. human parents. Do I need to grow a harder nose to bopp Aluson with?</p>
<p>Okay, quick. Get out the aprons and a bunch of blue-hair wigs. Besides sybbie sending all the early acceptances over here, I just made wild and crazy promises to the folks on the Where to Eat in Boston thread.</p>
<p>Seems a number of us have just been hit with final proof that Elsie’s in Cambridge is definitely dead and gone. We are in mourning. So I promised them that we’d hired all the waitresses, stocked up on knockwurst and all the other deli stuff and they could head right over here.</p>
<p>Should be easy for us to replicate the experience. At Elsie’s you just kind of raised your voice and hand (picture the trading pits on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange) louder and higher than anyone else in the scrum. And then waited until the waitress behind the counter shouted back at you that you could have your “knock on a Kaiser” if you’d just get a move on.</p>
<p>Just our style, imho. Slap a wig on my head and I’ll tie on an apron and start shouting. Oh, and someone quick make up a chicken salad recipe. I told mathmom that we were in on Elsie’s Secret Family Recipe.</p>
<p>Hmm. Chicken salad in my neck of the woods means rice vinegar dressing, cilantro (actually I’m starting like it…maybe the big 5-0 has made some chemical changes I was unaware of?), peanuts, shredded chicken, water chestnuts…</p>
<p>Why do I think that’s not what the storming hordes will want from us? Eeek. They have outlawed cooking anything that ends in Wurst out here in start-a-company make-a-billion land…</p>
<p>But I’m in on the blue hair wig and aprons. As long as I have my trusty flask in the apron pocket…</p>
<p>Flask is a great idea, Alu. I think it will help us achieve the requisite raspy-voiced ambience. So, if you subsitute Hellman’s (that would be Best Foods to you 
)for the rice vinegar, change out the cilantro for diced celery, eliminate the water chestnuts in favor of white bread… Well, I think you’d be getting close.</p>
<p>Sounds like the majority of eating places in Western PA, where the waitresses are all “lifers”, everyone is “hon” or “sweetie” and white bread and mayo still rule!</p>
<p>I remember the Woburn Diner being like that back in the day.</p>
<p>Yeah m&s, and they all know what your “usual” is too. In Providence, they’ll cut your muffin in half and fry it golden on the griddle. SO GOOD.</p>
<p>When I was 16, I worked in a diner like that, with lifer waitresses. It was extremely motivating!</p>
<p>OMG. Memories. When I was first out of business school, I worked for a company headquartered in Macungie, PA. For those not in the know, Macungie is right outside of Allentown. I will never forget when the guys (um, weren’t many women in the company…)took me to a real “dutchie” (Pennsylvania Dutch which is really German:)) restaurant.</p>
<p>The main dish was fried chicken with gravy…on top of mashed potatoes which were in turn…on top of waffles.</p>
<p>This little Californian girl nearly died at the sight of a plate with nothing but white and beige food.</p>
<p>Let’s cook chicken and waffles for those now in the hunt. They will need sustenance. Me, I have my flask!!!</p>
<p>BTW, working for that company was extremely motivating too. Not to say anything against anyone’s home town but I was not cut out for the Lehigh Valley in the 1980s so was quite motivated to get back to my roots, deep as they may have to be due to the Nothern California semi-arid climate and clay soil.</p>