I'm an idiot and I deserve whatever befalls me
I mentioned this in an IM to Poppy, and I'll just out myself on this: I'm an idiot.
The whole Presidents Day three day weekend thing so didn't blip on my radar. TFBIM and I have these two tickets-to-anywhere* we bought at a silent auction back last August, if memory serves. With someone with
1- An extraordinarily high proportion of friends well beyond a one day drive,
2- Work (even when I'm in PT SAHD mode) that gets appallingly stressful,
3- Offspring who practically demand you temporarily exile yourself from your parental duties and
3-A wife whose Tax Season duties make you feel as if her flopping into bed with you is some sort of illicit, tawdry one-night-stand
...you'd think I would have used my supercomputer brain to piece all these factoids into something along the lines of "Hey, honey, let's get away for the long weekend!"
One of our favorite defaults when my brain is acting properly (as opposed to acting like a greyish sponge with only a volt or two going through it) is Chicago. Mostly because Poppy and her crowd are there and there are so very, very few things better in life than loitering with Poppy** and/or her crowd. (I've said this in other fora*** and I'll say it again: If you don't have your own Poppy, get one, now.) Poppy is usually kind enough to let us crash at her place, and when her social calendar is so full, to the extent said place is unavailable, there are many excellent, cool, quaint hotel choices (which will accept FF miles in lieu of money) within a 2 block radius of Poppy's base of operation. Furthermore, Poppy invariably has something fun--even if it's only a three-hour lunch--going on.
Above and beyond the manifest excellence which is Poppy et cie., I have two of my favorite clients in Chicago and that renders the whole thing a business expense and thus my family's CFO is even more delighted than usual.
On top of that, Chicago has excellent shopping and I appreciate that certain stores will have different selections there than here (quite possibly a function of the differences in local tastes in combination with the seasonality with which Chicagoans are afflicted). Also, as befits a city that was mature well before the advent of automobiles, these places are, essentially, concentrated in one spot, whereas here Sprawl Is The Order Of The Day. Even if something precluded going to Chicago to loiter with Poppy and crew, we still have Scottsdale with my pal Mike or LA with my pal Jen, etc., etc.
You get the picture.
So you can imagine how crestfallen I was to realize I had completely blown this. While I handle adversity far better than most people, I handle mistakes far, far worse. In sum, this has wrecked my weekend, even though it's only half over.
Aiding and abetting the wrecking of the weekend is the fact my sister (& BiL) and TFBIM's brother and his wife all went away. My sister went to Mt. Dora, FL, a place that, on three-day weekends, holds a giganticmous antiques/flea market thing. She usually returns with a Paul Revere tea service that cost her $45 or a solid rosewood dining room table for $180 or something like that. Naturally, we volunteered to take in my niece (Codename: Madeline) and she'd sleep over. I was informed on Friday we had volunteered. I was also informed we had volunteered to take--SIMULTANEOUSLY, mind you--TFBIM's niece and nephew (Codename: Hansel & Gretel...and think of the Loony Tunes rendition.) while my other BiL and his wife went to Las Vegas.
No offense to Las Vegas, but, with very few, very specific exceptions...I just don't see the point in my going. I don't gamble and I could think of few things more appalling than catching a show there. (I'm sure there are plenty of Las Vegans**** who think complementary thoughts about Miami, which is fine by me.) It is a mild annoyance my BiL keeps saying to us "You guys should go." when informing us of one of their upcoming trips with several of their/our (but mostly, "their") friends. Then again, they dragged us aboard one of those gambling cruises that departs from the port of Miami, goes out the 3 miles to "international waters" and turns on the gaming machinery's wallet-suctioning devices--to celebrate his birthday.
But that's not as bad as the parents of a certain friend of TFBIM's who left Miami to retire in Las Vegas. Yes, visions of Social Security checks being swallowed by slot machines one nickel at a time spring to mind. (They also left their only grandchild here in Miami and guilt their daughter, TFBIM's pal, into schlepping out to Las Vegas with a 7 year old in tow because "they miss her.")
But whatevah. BiL & Mrs. BiL are in Las Vegas and they are having immense, if bucolic, fun. My sister and Mr. Sister are doing likewise. We are stuck here doing a low-rent touring company production of Cheaper By The Dozen.
Bugger.
* In the 48 contiguous states, Saturday stay required, other restrictions apply.
** Considering how Poppy and crowd live, uh, like, 23 states away, we manage to see each other a lot. Far more than friends we have who live 45 minutes up the interstate.
*** Don't be uncultured, please.
**** Yes, I know that looks funny.
The whole Presidents Day three day weekend thing so didn't blip on my radar. TFBIM and I have these two tickets-to-anywhere* we bought at a silent auction back last August, if memory serves. With someone with
1- An extraordinarily high proportion of friends well beyond a one day drive,
2- Work (even when I'm in PT SAHD mode) that gets appallingly stressful,
3- Offspring who practically demand you temporarily exile yourself from your parental duties and
3-A wife whose Tax Season duties make you feel as if her flopping into bed with you is some sort of illicit, tawdry one-night-stand
...you'd think I would have used my supercomputer brain to piece all these factoids into something along the lines of "Hey, honey, let's get away for the long weekend!"
One of our favorite defaults when my brain is acting properly (as opposed to acting like a greyish sponge with only a volt or two going through it) is Chicago. Mostly because Poppy and her crowd are there and there are so very, very few things better in life than loitering with Poppy** and/or her crowd. (I've said this in other fora*** and I'll say it again: If you don't have your own Poppy, get one, now.) Poppy is usually kind enough to let us crash at her place, and when her social calendar is so full, to the extent said place is unavailable, there are many excellent, cool, quaint hotel choices (which will accept FF miles in lieu of money) within a 2 block radius of Poppy's base of operation. Furthermore, Poppy invariably has something fun--even if it's only a three-hour lunch--going on.
Above and beyond the manifest excellence which is Poppy et cie., I have two of my favorite clients in Chicago and that renders the whole thing a business expense and thus my family's CFO is even more delighted than usual.
On top of that, Chicago has excellent shopping and I appreciate that certain stores will have different selections there than here (quite possibly a function of the differences in local tastes in combination with the seasonality with which Chicagoans are afflicted). Also, as befits a city that was mature well before the advent of automobiles, these places are, essentially, concentrated in one spot, whereas here Sprawl Is The Order Of The Day. Even if something precluded going to Chicago to loiter with Poppy and crew, we still have Scottsdale with my pal Mike or LA with my pal Jen, etc., etc.
You get the picture.
So you can imagine how crestfallen I was to realize I had completely blown this. While I handle adversity far better than most people, I handle mistakes far, far worse. In sum, this has wrecked my weekend, even though it's only half over.
Aiding and abetting the wrecking of the weekend is the fact my sister (& BiL) and TFBIM's brother and his wife all went away. My sister went to Mt. Dora, FL, a place that, on three-day weekends, holds a giganticmous antiques/flea market thing. She usually returns with a Paul Revere tea service that cost her $45 or a solid rosewood dining room table for $180 or something like that. Naturally, we volunteered to take in my niece (Codename: Madeline) and she'd sleep over. I was informed on Friday we had volunteered. I was also informed we had volunteered to take--SIMULTANEOUSLY, mind you--TFBIM's niece and nephew (Codename: Hansel & Gretel...and think of the Loony Tunes rendition.) while my other BiL and his wife went to Las Vegas.
No offense to Las Vegas, but, with very few, very specific exceptions...I just don't see the point in my going. I don't gamble and I could think of few things more appalling than catching a show there. (I'm sure there are plenty of Las Vegans**** who think complementary thoughts about Miami, which is fine by me.) It is a mild annoyance my BiL keeps saying to us "You guys should go." when informing us of one of their upcoming trips with several of their/our (but mostly, "their") friends. Then again, they dragged us aboard one of those gambling cruises that departs from the port of Miami, goes out the 3 miles to "international waters" and turns on the gaming machinery's wallet-suctioning devices--to celebrate his birthday.
But that's not as bad as the parents of a certain friend of TFBIM's who left Miami to retire in Las Vegas. Yes, visions of Social Security checks being swallowed by slot machines one nickel at a time spring to mind. (They also left their only grandchild here in Miami and guilt their daughter, TFBIM's pal, into schlepping out to Las Vegas with a 7 year old in tow because "they miss her.")
But whatevah. BiL & Mrs. BiL are in Las Vegas and they are having immense, if bucolic, fun. My sister and Mr. Sister are doing likewise. We are stuck here doing a low-rent touring company production of Cheaper By The Dozen.
Bugger.
* In the 48 contiguous states, Saturday stay required, other restrictions apply.
** Considering how Poppy and crowd live, uh, like, 23 states away, we manage to see each other a lot. Far more than friends we have who live 45 minutes up the interstate.
*** Don't be uncultured, please.
**** Yes, I know that looks funny.
Comments