--Our much-anticipated week in England is now
less than a month away.
We have our passports in order, our plane tickets purchased,
reservations at a thoroughly-researched hotel in a nice part of
town, two day-trips by bus (Cotswolds & Warwick Castle/Oxford)
confirmed and paid-for, an airport shuttle service lined-up, and a
highly-detailed (but flexible by design) list of things we want to
do.
We’ve spent the entire winter working on this project, and it had
better not be cold and rainy the whole time we’re there…
One of the big gambles we’re taking, you see, is going in the
so-called off-season.Presumably
it’s “off” because the weather is questionable, and most kids
are still in school.However,
we’re going at the ass-end of the off-season, and the price break
is what made it possible for any of this to happen in the first
place.
So, we’ll just have to play with the cards dealt us.Perhaps the vacation gods will cut us a break?
-- What CDs should I load onto my iPod for the trip?I’m thinking late ‘60s Kinks, The Jam, Ian Dury’s New
Boots and Panties!!,
a little Madness, possibly the Specials, and what else?Clearly I’m going for the stuff that’s saturated, simply
saturated, with a British feel.
Help me out, won’t you?What
am I forgetting?
-- One thing that’s not completely
settled, is my new camera.And
I’m driving myself (not to mention Toney) straight to the
wacky-shack with it.
I won’t have enough Amazon credits to buy the one I want until
later this month.So it’s
giving me ample time to hem and haw, and make decisions, then make
other decisions that supersede previous decisions…The whole thing’s maddening.
As of this writing I’m settled on this camera, without a lens.The kits lens, I’ve learned, is widely regarded as a turd.And while I know I’m not accomplished enough to notice its
turdly attributes, the knowledge of it would nag at me.Oh, I know how my brain operates…
So, I’m going with the body-only camera, and this lens.From the hours and hours of research I’ve done, I’m
convinced it’s the proper course of action.Without, you know, plunking down an even-more outrageous sum
of money.
And I’m going with this memory card… and trying not to think
about it anymore.I’m
attempting to convince myself the decision is finally made.
Until, of course, you guys sprint
to the comments link, and tell me I’m making a big mistake.Then it’ll start all over again…
Will somebody please hold me?
--Am I the only one who
feels the word lens
should have an e at the end of it?Whenever
I type it, it looks partially-constructed.I’m not completely at ease with the spelling of that
word…What are some other
ill-conceived spellings?Use the
comments link if you've got anything on that subject.
--And speaking of vacations,
there was an intriguing ad in the Sunday paper.Apparently a tiny new airline is going to start offering
direct flights from Scrantonto
Myrtle
Beach, on
Wednesdays and Saturdays – at $79 each way.
Not bad, not great.But
they’re also offering a special, where kids under twelve fly free,
if you book by February 29.So…
we could use the camper my parents keep in storage down there, and
have a really nice week at the beach in August, for very little money.
The only problem?Andy.We can’t put him in a kennel, because he’s neurotic and
would very likely go into full cardiac arrest, and we’re using up
all our goodwill points with my parents on the Englandtrip.They’re cutting-short their winter in Floridaso they
can babysit Blacklips Houlihan. We might be pushing our luck if we
ask them again.
This infuriates Toney, and she came very close to casting a death
wish on our family pet this weekend.She wants to take advantage of the deal, but I’m not sure
how we’d be able to pull it off.Steve
might be able to keep him, but he’s home even less than I am…
Maybe we could just attach a handle to Andy’s back, and try to
pass him off as carry-on luggage?I
just don’t know.
And since we’re on the subject of Steve, he’s coming up for a
visit tomorrow afternoon.So
I’m not sure what that’ll do to the Thursday update.It might be especially late, or it could bleed over into
Friday.We’ll just have to
see how it goes.
And that’s all I have time for today, boys and girls.I need to go to work now.
