23 posts tagged “vacation”
I had a lot of people tell me I should get a tattoo while on vacation to remember this time in my life and this trip. I love body modifications and ink, but can't bring myself to do anything permanent to myself. So I thought some sort of piece of jewelry that means something to me would be a good alternative. Tonight I found it by chance at www.bicolasvegas.com.
The pendant's meaning: power, protection, authority, strength, & courage. Which doesn't match what is on the website for some reason. But I swear that is what it said on the display and marketing materials.
Happy birthday to me.
I need a better camera than the iPhone. Because then I could show you photos of the people I saw today at the Luxor pool. Sure, that's a creepy invasion of their privacy and it would upset me if someone sneakily took my picture by the pool and put it on the internet. Let's ignore that for the moment since I DON'T have a camera and DIDN'T sneakily take pictures of people and therefore HAVEN'T put them on my blog.
At Sasquatch Festival last year Stepto did a great blog post on the specialized types of people at an outdoor music festival. It was hysterical. I am quite sure my day today has that sort of potential, if only I were as witty and inspired as he. Plus he had pictures! So you'll have to bear with me. I'm going to work my way through in the order I saw them.
The Silverback. In gorillas, an old male will go silver-gray on his back (thus the name, duh). The human variation takes into account the typical evolutionary hair placement patterns on humanoid males which favor the chest over the back. The creature I saw poolside appeared healthy, in his 50th decade, exhibitng dark hair on the head, chest and legs, with the exception of a triangular patch on his chest spanning the collarbones and tapering to the solar plexus which was silver-gray. He appeared to be a fairly young silverback traveling with just one mate.
The Perpetual Sweater. I don't mean someone who sweats a lot. I mean someone who really needs to make friends with an esthetician who specializes in waxing or laser hair removal. This man was so unpleasantly hairy he is in my top 5 all time worst body hair list. If he were non-humanoid his hair would still be awful - too much for a human, not enough for any other mammal. The quantity of his body hair would be a huge turn off for many women, yet he had one with him. He must compensate somehow. I ceased my field research immediately. Some things I just don't want to know about. Like backstage Disney. It is better just to leave a little mystery.
Sun Worshippers. Unlike their distant relative the Sun God or Sun Goddess, these individuals have taken their tanning too far. Their skin is the color of crispy bacon, but with none of the firmness. You can see the resiliancy of their skin breaking down under the onslaught of solar radiation. They don't look healthy, they look tight and saggy all at once, a dark brownish orange with sun spots and wrinkles... so sad. In their quest for MORE SUN they often wear swimsuits that are WAY TOO SMALL for their bodies which are rarely in peak physical condition. Which is sad for everyone else.
Sun Gods and Sun Goddesses. These individuals have mastered the right amount of tan. They look healthy both in physical fitness and skin color. They are the beautiful people everyone wants to watch at the pool, and I got to watch a fair number of them today. Sadly, I will never be one of these people because I am one of...
The Cave Dwellers. To be fair, not all people with milk white skin that reflects the sun like a hanes tshirt live in caves. Some of them simply live in sun-deprived locations like Alaska, Minnesota, or Washington. Some even live in Arizona, but have European genetics working against them. These people go out in the sun with their SPF 50 and turn bright red in 2 hours. Sometimes their burn will develop in entertaining patterns depending on the direction they laid in relation to the sun in the sky. As they try to get a 'base tan' they just get redder. Later they will peel and freckle. They will be left with annoying tan lines that will only show they got sun when they are naked; without the contrast of their natural alabaster state to show they were in the sun you would never know.
Pool Toys. Not all eye candy at the pool is a Sun God/Goddess. There are good looking people who haven't acquired the perfect tan yet. Like the girl I met in the pool today. Her swimsuit was so cute I went to ask where she got it. She seemed embarrassed to admit it was from a Hustler store. When I didn't seem shocked by that and continued talking to her, she shared that she is a go-go dancer. She is actually the nicest and most interesting person I've met so far on this trip.
The... I don't know what this is. The woman in her late 30's/early 40's two chairs away with her two kids took off her shirt to wear a beige strapless bra and shorts. Uh, that's just kind of weird.
Sharks. These packs of hunters come in male and female pods, typically of Pool Toys, and cruise the pool looking for other Pool Toys or Sun Gods/Goddesses to assimilate. Unfortunately while their numbers give them confidence, it also makes them intimidating when approaching smaller groups. The ideal situation is when Shark Pods of similar numbers intermingle.
ok, enough blogging for now, maybe I'll write more later about some of the other people I saw or things I did today, but I reallly have to get some aloe on my sunburn before the itching drives me insane. :(
This is kind of a big deal. I haven't been on a vacation by myself ever. But earlier this year I decided that the fact that I'm not in a relationship and have no one to go on vacation with would not mean that I miss out on vacations. F#ck that. There is a great big world out there to experience, and I'm not going to wait until *someday* to do it with another person. I am seriously sunshine deprived in Seattle, and this week is my birthday. I'm 29 again in case you were wondering. And my life has been really stressful for the last few months. So I decided to get away and spend my birthday somewhere warm that I could sit in a chaise by the pool or ocean and read a book. I thought (and still think) that getting away is going to be good for me, help me refocus and get my head straight, and get back in touch with who I am at my core and what is important to me. I'd love to go to Italy, but even if that were in budget, I thought it was a bad idea to go international on my first solo vacation (this is the same rationale that excluded Mexico from consideration). So this week I am in Las Vegas, for the first time outside of attending the Black Hat conference every summer. I considered going to Hawaii, but could stay here longer for the same budget. :)
Vacationing alone is kind of weird. There are lots of things that would be way more fun to do with someone, and I find myself turning to Facebook status updates to feel like I'm sharing my vacation with people (I haven't decided how I feel about this Facebook reliance yet). Getting a table for 1 at restaurants appears to be impossible, I keep getting seated at the bar. Asking a stranger to put sunscreen on my back is WAY outside my comfort zone. And getting pictures to remember the vacation requires the help of strangers (I'm trying to get at least one photo of myself each day). But on the up side, I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. I spent 2.5 hours this morning at the spa getting a massage and facial, bought a new swimsuit (my suits from last year are all too big), lunched on snack bar food in my room, then went to the pool for a couple hours. After the pool I did some shopping with no one to get impatient at how long it took me to try on dresses or pick shoes. Speaking of which, aren't they fabulous?
They are my second most expensive shoes ever, after my Asics.
Then I came back to my hotel, showered, and based on the premise that feeling good and looking good go hand in hand, I got dressed up and went to dinner. The Cathouse, I will have you know, has nothing to do with felines. And yes, I was surprised by this for about 30 seconds before I figured it out. These are the bartenders who kept the diet coke flowing and served up a great beet/goat cheese/almond salad and calamari. I have never eaten so much calamari and still looked like I had a full untouched plate of calamari still.
I know, iPhone photos in low light aren't great, and the candelabras behind them aren't helping. But it's what I've got to work with here.
The hostess, who took the picture above, has the same birthday as me. Everyone asks if you are in town for business/what you are in town for. I have gotten better at the 'it's my birthday this week and I missed the sun' line without feeling like I have to explain why I'm on vacation alone. To be clear, no one expected an explanation, this is all my own issues making a trivial polite question more difficult than it needs to be. So I'm glad I got past that nonsense. Reality is that polite questions don't actually require honest answers, just polite ones.
Tomorrow I plan on spending more time at the pool, working on my sunburn and reading. Then I am going to karaoke here in my hotel bar at 9pm. That is my entire master plan for the day. I feel kind of like a retiree, scheduling my social activities for the week. Wednesday is another pool day, probably some more shopping (Caesar's Palace Forum Shops are SO much nicer than the shops here at the Luxor, I went to CP today for the pool and shopping, and plan on going back Wednesday), and I'm going to try to go to a show, I'm thinking O at the Bellagio. Thursday is my final pool day (assuming my skin hasn't full on revolted against the solar abuse I have given it) and then I think I am going to take myself out for a nice dinner. No, I'm not going clubbing while I'm here, no matter how much I love to dance, doing that alone sounds terrifying. No, I don't gamble. And I'm not drinking at all. But I think I might just have a good time on vacation anyway.
One of the cool things about our annual pilgramage to Disneyland is that there are lots of pirate shirts to be found (though finding shirts that are not blatantly Disney branded can be tricky). Here is this year's acquisition.
yes, I'm wearing a tiara. The shirt is rhinestones, so really the tiara is an appropriately matched accessory...
we tried getting a photo in front of the jolly roger flag and a big pile of pirate treasure on Tom Sawyer's Island, but you can't take strollers there, so Eric had to hold Chris while taking photos - and Chris kept yanking the camera strap. None of them turned out. :( So here I am at dinner instead. Yes, I'm a bit tired. We'd been up since 4:20 am with Chris. great dinner. great day. great shirt.
yeah, I know, I didn't blog on day 2. so to catch everyone up... Yesterday we spent the day at the park (Disneyland, if you haven't been paying attention) and rode a bunch of Allyson's favorite rides. It was really hot and we were meeting an old friend of mine for dinner, so we left around 4:30 to go clean up and cool off. We had dinner at Buca di Beppo and saw my friend Brian for the first time in probably 10 years. Allyson, being the shy wallflower she is (NOT!) acted as if she had known him her whole life. Here she is after dinner demanding that he change her new Ariel doll's dress.
we were lucky to have Allyson with us at dinner at all. Earlier in the day we had a bit of a run in with local park wildlife. We should have been suspicious when Tigger nibbled Chris's head.
Then Allyson gave him a hug...
And he ate her head!
but he gave it back.
whew.
ok, no more photos for this blog post, the hotel connection is way too slow.
today, Allyson and I actually had the best mother-daughter fun we've ever had. Ever. Disneyland has this genius thing called the Princess Faire, where you can easily burn several hours in the shade with no lines. We spent probably 3-4 hours there. She saw 3 different storytime sessions, one by Princess Jasmine, one by Snow White, and one by Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty). Allyson loved this one Lady In Waiting who was wearing purple so much she wanted to sit next to her for stories instead of by me. She so charmed this Lady, that she was pulled aside and given a pass for a private meet-n-greet with Cinderella (her favorite!) and Snow White. She also learned to curtsey and dance like a princess, made a crown, and got her face painted. The photos are adorable and will be posted after we get back home to a net connection that isn't slow as molasses. It was so much fun, for both of us. You'd think I'd be princess overdosed (well maybe just a little) but we had so much fun, we might go back tomorrow.
From the time we left the Faire to go do other things, she insisted that we call her Cinderella, and her stroller was her carriage. This went on for over five hours through rides, dinner, up until she went to bed. She was so tired she could hardly string a sentence together. She also has been calling me Little Mermaid. Not Ariel, but Little Mermaid. "Little Mermaid, will you carry me?" hahahahaha.
My head cold is clearing and my ears aren't clogged. I'm losing my voice now, but that's just a nuisance, not painful like the head congestion was. Tomorrow is our third and final day at Disneyland, I think we are going to try and put in a half day at California Adventure too...
we left Seattle for Anaheim today... The kids were pretty good on the flight, though Chris was overtired and really squirmy. His daddy got to hold him a lot on the flight because my stress levels were too high to deal. Then on landing, my left ear wouldn't equalize - it was excruciating. After about a half hour the pressure finally blew, but now, hours later, when I move my head it is still terribly painful. I would love a hot tub, foofy drink, and back rub right now! We got to the hotel (which is surprisingly super-nice) with no problems, ordered in room service and got the kids to bed. And as usual, holding Chris in my arms while he slept allowed me to unwind myself. He is so sweet with his eyes closed and head nestled in my chest, all cuddled up and peaceful. I lose track of time holding him like that, and just breathe and feel for a brief moment that nothing else matters but this. It was nice to re-set my stress so I can start the day tomorrow in a positive mood and really enjoy our time at Disneyland. Yay!
This is one of my favorite shots of Allyson at the park in Arlington VA this summer
and a couple others from vacation - a petting zoo in VA, and back in NC
wow, the customer service people with Comfort Inn Hotels need to take Intro to Customer Service 101 over again. I swear, I'm not making this stuff up.
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response to mail thread 2:
From: KymPxxxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2007 1:46 PM
To: 'guest_survey_inquiries@choicehotels.com'
Subject: RE: Survey
I hope you DID know I was recently in Arlington VA, because I had a terrible experience and have been waiting for a response to my email (attached) for two weeks now. Do you people not care at all about big gross cockroaches in your hotel rooms, and hotel managers who are rude? Or is it just customers you don’t care about?
Kymberlee
From: Guest Inquiries [mailto:guest_survey_inquiries@choicehotels.com]
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2007 12:35 PM
To: KymPxxxxxxx
Subject: Survey
Dear Ms. Possible,
Thank you for responding. I do apologize the wrong information was sent to you. This was not forwarded to any other guests and we did not know that you were recently in Arlington, VA. This was supposed to be sent to Mr. Lxxxxxxxx. Again I am sorry for the confusion.
Sincerely,
Barb
Guest Survey Specialist
Choice Hotels International
I've gotten two separate emails from Choice Hotels International since completing their online Guest Survey about my leetle friend la cucaracha in el bano. I've copied them below for your entertainment, along with my replies. Last names have been obscured for privacy. As with all mail threads, read from the bottom up.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mail thread 2:
From: KymPxxxxxxx You have got to be kidding me.
Who is Kevin Lxxxxxxxxr? Kevin Lxxxxxxxx of British Columbia Canada? Did he ALSO have a cockroach in his room? And how many people have gotten emails with my name on them instead of their own, so they now know that I was recently in Arlington VA?
This is the most ridiculous customer service I’ve ever seen.
From: Guest Inquiries [mailto:guest_survey_inquiries@choicehotels.com]
Tuesday, July 17, 2007 Dear Kevin Lxxxxxxxx, Thank you for taking the time to respond to our recent customer satisfaction survey and for providing us with the additional comments about your stay at the Comfort Inn Ballston in Arlington, VA. We do apologize for the incident that occurred at this hotel. We have forwarded the information and issues you have raised to our field staff who will be addressing them directly with the hotel. Choice Hotels is committed to helping facilitate corrective action and ensuring that appropriate changes are made with the hotel directly. Your comments have assisted us in identifying areas in need of attention, and we greatly appreciate your feedback. Should you need further assistance please contact us at 800.300.8800. We are looking forward to providing quality accommodations and service to you in the future. Thank you for your continued patronage. Best Regards,
Lance Guest Survey Specialist Choice Hotels International, Inc
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mail thread 1:
From: KymPxxxxxxx Wow, so did you even read my survey comments? You have nothing to say about the giant cockroach in our bathroom, but if I’d like to share more information I can contact you? How about you read this: http://kympossible.vox.com/library/post/creepshow-meets-psycho.html and tell me what you think.
From: Guest Inquiries [mailto:guest_survey_inquiries@choicehotels.com]
Thursday, July 12, 2007 Dear KYMPxxxxxxx, Thank you for taking the time to respond to our recent customer satisfaction survey. You indicated on your response that you would like a representative from Choice Hotels to contact you.
Please feel free to respond directly to this email address with any additional information you would like to share with us or contact the Survey Department at 1-800-300-8800. We are available between the hours of 8:00AM to 8:00PM central time, Monday through Friday.
Best Regards,
Barb Guest Survey Specialist Choice Hotels International, Inc
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
and yes, I did email Kevin Lxxxxxxxx of British Columbia and asked if he had a big nasty cockroach in his room. Why? Two words for you: Mean Streak. I figure if the hotel is going to disclose to me that he recently had a problem with them, I should balance the privacy breaches and let him know I also stayed there and had an issue. Sort of a you showed me yours so I'll show you mine philosophy.
Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 9:06 PM
To: 'guest_survey_inquiries@choicehotels.com'
Subject: RE: survey
Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 5:24 PM
To: KymPxxxxxxx
Subject: survey
Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2007 3:22 PM
To: guest_survey_inquiries@choicehotels.com
Subject: RE: Choice Hotels Survey
Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2007 2:40 PM
To: KymPxxxxxxx
Subject: Choice Hotels Survey
I didn't get online while in VA and now that we are back in NC, the intarwebnet has been down at my in-laws - a technician MAY be out tomorrow, but maybe not until next week. The next door neighbor is away on vacation and has an unsecured wi-fi network, but for some inexplicable reason we've got connectivity tonight, so I'm not having to leach bandwidth from the neighbor to post this. I've been blogging in notepad the last few days waiting to post it all - so here you go. I've edited the posting dates so they are published following the timeline they were written in.
And since I've brought up the idea of leaching wifi... I was astounded by the number of wifi networks I could pick up from the car driving down I-395 in the Arlington area. About 25% of them were unsecured. If I were a full time geek still (aka didn't have two small kids in the car whose auto travel tolerance limits are about 90 minutes shorter than the trip is going to take) we'd have cruised by the Pentagon just for giggles to see what popped up.
By the way, Granny played Wii-Tennis until almost midnight last night, and she's playing again now (10pm EST). I promise you a photo of Wii-Granny soon. I hope this doesn't screw up her real tennis game. She's pretty doggone good. And it cracks me up that we appear to have gotten her hooked on it (if only the photos would show you how she heckles her doubles partner and the other team when they cost her a point. Its priceless). I didn't know Nintendo was going after the 70+ age bracket. LOL.
