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Long trip to make someone happy
Stopping by the UPS and FedEx sites to check on where my packages are today, I was a little surprised to find the FedEx package in Shanghai this morning. That would be China. It started out in Kunshan. I’ll have to drag a map out to see where that is. It will be interesting to see where it goes next.
I am somewhat dismayed by the distance this object must travel on a great big airplane. This would be an Apple product, incidentally. I shouldn’t be surprised since practically everything is manufactured in China anymore, but I still am surprised.
I would like to see more “manufactured in the US” on some of these products, but until manufacturing outside the country becomes too financially onerous, I probably shouldn’t hold my breath.
csn you believe this? 63 degrees out. Windy as all heck. But ahhhhhhh, my doors are open!
I take it the Lad does not have a lot to take home if you are fetching him? One of these days I would love to go with you!
Probably next year, say in May when needs to bring everything home, for good? Or when ever it is that he gets out for graduation lol. Can your believe it? One more year, hardly seems possable.
Just popping in to say hi, and catching up on reads. I am not buying much this holiday season. Kids want cash and I only have a couple other presents to buy. I will try and get that all done this weekend.
Oh my word, J, I know. He’ll graduate in one more year. He’ll be 22. The last three years have simply blown past. It’s astonishing.
His trip home at Christmas involves just one large bag of stuff and that’s it. They leave all the rest locked up in their rooms.
I don’t *think* he will be home for the full vacation this year. As far as I know, right now, he has an externship (short internship) starting on January 4th. His Dad was reserving the right to nix that, however. It’s a long story. The one that involves the coupla dozen gray hairs I grew over Thanksgiving. I’m totally staying out of it.
My door has remained mostly closed today. Every time I tried to open it, the rain blew in sideways. It’s still warm in the house, though, without need for artificial heat. I’ll take it.
Annie, hello. Glad to see you. I would have thought cash would be high on the list this year, but nope. I, on the other hand, am all for gift cards. When asked for my Christmas list, I wrote:
1. Amazon gift card
2. Amazon gift card
3. Amazon gift card
4. Amazon gift card.
I wonder if there will be an Amazon gift card in my future… 
Gotta feed my book habit!
Um, did you lose power? I never want to go 24 hours, in the freaking sleeting rain with out it again. Give me a rolling brown out in 110 degrees any day over this! One can always find a water source to cool down. I don’t want to even think about how much gas, and money was spent today trying to stay warm. We went out to eat, as did every other freaking person, we went to the Christmas tree shop, I think we touched every item in the store before we left! we ran every errand I could think of lol.
Mostly I feel bad for GC2, its the only day of the year she WANTS to go to school. Her Birthday. She thought I was bringing her a birthday candle in to greet her this morning lol.
Once the phones are charged enough I will give you a call to see how you are fairing. At least I know you are not freezing!!
I’d heard that a good portion of MA was without power last night and into this morning. We didn’t lose ours, though. I’m surprised. When I looked outside last night there had to have been a solid inch of ice coating everything. It was ugly out there. I’m glad you’ve got yours back—sounds as if a lot of folks won’t get their power back until the weekend. And yes, I was nice and warm. Too warm. I had to let the fire burn out around 9PM because I couldn’t stand it. Was nice and brisk in here this morning, I’ll tell ya. Happy Birthday, GC2!!!
I am glad to hear that you didn’t lose power. There are still a lot of areas in this city without power still. I feel for them. Ours went out sometime between 12-2AM. Popped on and off for a bit before it finally went for good. And dang, did it get cold in here.
This city is a zoo! I waited about 20 minutes to get gas for my car this morning. We had one freaking gas station working on this end of the city. If I didn’t really need it (let the light go on four times, had lots of short trips last night lol) it I wouldn’t have waited. And I got there before the mad rush. They were lined up for a half mile before I left.
Sigh. Have to go see what all these cackling teenage girls need/want. Poor GC1 is sick as a dog and her sister has all these girls here.
The other J and I went out in search of food and a good margarita this evening. Well. It appears that everything between you and Portsmouth is without power (except us) and those few establishments along the Seabrook strip that are open were packed to the rafters with 1 1/2 to 2 hour waits. Mostly people who couldn’t cook at home. The traffic was unbelievable. We came back into town and it was a mob scene. Think Yankee Homecoming kind of mob scene. We have electricity and heat here. A big draw evidently. The shop owners must be simply delirious with joy. This was a way bigger night than last weekend’s Christmas kick-off with all the troubadours, finger foods, and drink. it is expected to last through Sunday, too.
Tell GC1 I hope she feels better really soon!
Here’s a brief news story about the ice storm.
Some pics in the Boston Globe.
Some storm pics sent in by Globe readers.
Yeah, it is all around here too. left this morning to do xmas shopping first three stops in three different towns, no power, stores closed, hit Salem, NH parts open, I guess some closed, went to Methuen, half and half, same in North Andover. Crazy. And it appeared that every intersection that is normally dangerous, those were the ones with no traffic lights and no one directing traffic. Fingers crossed we stay on.
My son and his girlfriend are in your neck of the woods for dinner tonight or that is where they were headed, I suggested they might want to call ahead, but of course, they know better. So it will be interesting......
I’m so glad I didn’t have to go out and do shopping this year. Very little anyway. The last FedEx and UPS trucks arrived this morning and now I have all my stash buried in the closet. Unfortunately, they still have to be wrapped and that is likely not to happen until Christmas Eve, as usual.
We passed through a number of intersections tonight where the lights were out and the police cruisers sat on the side of the road with their lights flashing. Very distracting. They didn’t bestir themselves to do any traffic directing, however. I’m not sure what the point was.
Hope your son and his girlfriend found a place to eat. The establishments on State Street were mobbed. We did find empty tables at Szechuan Taste and piled in. I’ve often wondered how they stay in business. On a good day they don’t seem to have more than a fifth of their tables occupied. Tonight, though, they were doing a blockbuster business. By comparison. Good food, anyway. And a pretty decent margarita.
Wait. A restaurant named Szechuan Taste serves margaritas?
The apocalypse is upon us.
Well thankfully we kept power. I don’t know what I would have done with four teenage girls plus the rest of us if we lost it again.
Until the sun came out it was a very eerie looking day yesterday.
Not having power this weekend it not a good thing for a lot of stores with it being the second to last weekend before Christmas.
I made E go to the store after he got home(I am so mean) We had one grocery store open in this city, we have three that I know of, And it was the smallest one of the three. The man made sainthood in my book last night. I was just so tired from trying to find things to do to keep the kids warm. And then the running around with all the teenage girls. (remind me to tell you about leaving B and thinking she was in the car lol) and the day before I trekked GC1 around to do her x-mas shopping, then picked up GC2 so she could get some of hers done before work. Its a good thing gas has come down because I have gone through a heck of a lot lately! Today is grocery shopping and a few errands, finish the gingerbread house with BC. Collapse after dinner. Then tomorrow I have to take GC2 x-mas shopping to finish up(she bought one thing the other day) her shopping. Monday I am not doing a dang thing because on Tuesday I have to start my shopping lol. I really want to have it done before the weekend so that we are just doing the baking of cookies and whatnot’s up till Christmas eve.
So far I have kept a good attitude about Christmas this year. Broke or no broke. Just moving and having our first Christmas in the new house is soooooooooo uplifting in and of it’s self let me tell you!
What day are you getting the lad? I would really like to see him this trip home. Seems that I only see him in the summer lol. Ok, think I covered everything. I think we have gone to long without talking on the phone LOL.
oh and I also had something done that I have been wanting to do for years and years. It was GC1’s birthday gift to me. But you have to wait to see it until you come over next. Neener neener neener! Oh dear, my word it katrina. I hope that is not a sign or something. (shivers)
It was an eclectic meal, Linkmeister. A Chinese appetizer, Thai main course, and a margarita. Also, a pot of green tea. My taste buds were hopping. The mixed drinks are new. Until very recently, the only things available were Chinese beer and green tea, which was fine. I wonder why they added more after all these years. Competition, I suppose.
J, your schedule makes my head spin. And pffft on your neener, neener, neener. I’m jealous, deep pea green shade. Can’t wait to see it, though!
I’m going to get the lad on Monday. He’s hoping that as soon as he hands in his last paper, I’ll be waiting by the door for him. Welllll, I have a hard time seeing me crawling in my car at 4AM in the morning. Probably not going to happen. It looks as if he will be here for the entire vacation...til the end of January. You should be able to see him.
A Chinese appetizer, Thai main course, and a margarita. Also, a pot of green tea.
Globalization!
They ended up at their usual haunt in N’bryport--The Grog.
Years ago, it had the Mexican portion upstairs - and we went there a LOT - one of the only Mexican places in the area - anyway, I remember one particularly memorable evening when I took it upon myself to teach the bartender how to make Tequila Sunrises. Was one of those nights I did not want a ‘rita, wanted a Sunrise (we had just come back from California and that was the drink I was into). Needless to say it was a pretty funny evening, he made lots of mistakes and I was the beneficiary of many of them..............;)
It’s hard to believe, but once upon a time (1962-1968 time frame) in Washington DC there was only one Mexican restaurant. It was on the second floor of a walkup in Georgetown. Having just spent 6 years in SoCal and having parents who grew up in Phoenix, we spent several months looking until we finally found the place. It wasn’t very good compared to what we’d been accustomed to eating in San Pedro and Westwood, but it was a lot better than nothing at all.
Now, I suspect there are Mexican restaurants all over the place in the District.
There are and I suspect I have had a rita or two or........in several of them!! They are still a relatively new phenomena here on the East Coast and we still seem to have a scarcity of them....good ones, anyway.
Hmmmm, word is achilles as in...’my achilles heel would maybe be Mexican and Tequila...’ ;)