Hey, Stwong Bad, Can I Bowwow Your Fondue Pot?

Until last week, I had not flown on an airplane in eleven years.  I'm beginning to wish that the pleasure had been indefinitely postponed.  Don't get me wrong, the view from the window is amazing, the take-off and landing are thrilling, the movies are entertaining, and the food is sometimes good.  But after you've been sitting in one cramped position for eight hours, with another eight hours layover and then just more flights looming ahead of you, it gets, shall I say, tedious.  And also, my knees ache.  And also, I'm tired.  And also also, I didn't get to brush my teeth until just a few hours ago.  But do I complain?  Never.  And so now, as I sit in a remarkably unfriendly airport in Tel Aviv, Israel (seriously, they have signs like "Welcome to Israel, now get out"...which I found entirely amusing), I shall relate to you a story which has nothing to do with any of that.

Hem hem...

Ever been to a place called "The Melting Pot"?  No, not the country, the restaurant.  Well, we had the pleasure in Pittsburgh.  It was pretty amazing.  I mean, our waiter got huffy with us when we didn't order what he suggested, which we found terribly funny, but the food was wonderful.  They have these pots sitting on burners on your table, and they bring your food out to you seasoned but uncooked.  In the pots they mix a sauce for you to cook your food in.  It was lots of fun, but the best was yet to come.  For desert we ordered a chocolate fondue.  It was dark chocolate, marshmallow cream, and crushed oreos.  To dip in there we had bananas, strawberries, marshmallows, and other such goodies.  Feel free to be envious.  I'm envious of my past self.  Mmmmmm...

So there you go.  One of the posts I promised.  And now, before I leave you, here are a few important notes:

-I changed the settings on the comments so now anyone can comment, not just those with blogs.

-Our flights have gone smoothly, so Lord willing, we will be in Cairo tomorrow...joyousness!

-Current vocabulary words everyone should be using: egregious, scads, and scope.  But not the mouthwash.

Did ew know...?

When you open up the blogspot webpage in Israel, it shows up in Hebrew.  And also, it's flipped backwards.

Thank you for choosing Lod's Little Tidbits, and have a nice day.

Second Star to the Right and blah blah...

Oh well, can't remember all the directions...hope they weren't too important. Something like keep turning left until morning so you get so sick and dizzy you throw up.

Good morning! We're headed out in about ten minutes. So much to say, not nearly enough time! Now comes our forty-eight hour airport experience. Yay. I know you feel out of the loop with what's been happening the last few days, but never fear. To whet your whistle, here are a few posts you can look forward to:

"Thumbcrusher"
A nail-biting thriller

"Home Away from Home Away from Home"
Curl up with some tissues and chocolate

...and of course, what blog would be complete without-
"Hey Stwong Bad, Can I Bowwow Your Fondue Pot?"
...'nuff said.

Did ew know...?
You can't send someone an e-mail if you don't have their e-mail address.
Thank you for choosing Lod's Little Tidbits, and have a nice day.

Dude, You're Gettin' a Dell

I have transitioned, at this point in our trip, from Apple to PC. Moving on from Valerie's charming apartment, I now find myself in the equally charming apartment of the Caitlin variety. The difference? Location, location, location. Going from uptown NYC to outer Pittsburgh is an interesting experience. It's so green here, with the river just out the window and what seems like dog shows on the lawn. The flight, however, was not so pleasant. First, it was delayed an hour. Then we were sitting on the plane for about 30 minutes before they finally explained why we weren't moving yet. The brilliant people at JFK airport decided to have two working runways during the busy afternoon time: one for landing and one for taking off. So we were twentieth in line to take off. Bad enough? Oh no. The two runways crossed. So they had to alternate. It took us about an hour to take off. But on the bright side, it was a small plane and I got to walk from the outside up the stairs into the plane, which is something they always do in the movies but I have never done. Which I can't say anymore. Anyhoo.

Quick time warp back to yesterday...
The plays were AMAZING. The costumes for The Lion King were even more amazing than I expected. Just everything was breathtaking. Elizabeth and I actually cried a little at the beginning, which we thought was silly and blamed on female issues. But then we spoke to Valerie about the play later, and she disclosed that she cried at the beginning as well. So either it's normal, or we're all insane. Wicked was equally wonderful, with really good acting. Glinda was hysterical. And there were some twists to the play that I was not aware of and was actually extremely pleased about. Aside from that, we went to the Empire State Building (which they must make ridiculous amounts of money off of because their prices are practically robbery for an elevator ride), had more good food, and had one more good chat with Valerie. And so, dear peoples, that's all I have to say about that.

Did ew know...?
Thinking is hard on an empty stomach, but always dangerous.
Thank you for choosing Lod's Little Tidbits, and have a nice day.

A York that is New

Ways you can know that you are hot...
You are dripping sweat --- it's not just a turn of phrase. It is literal.
You run your fingers through your hair and they come back drenched
You get a massive headache
You are waiting in the subway (the word suffocation comes to mind)
You want to run into every air-conditioned store you pass by

and the number one way...


You want to kiss the pharmacy for being your saviour (Advil, people, Advil)

And now, my thoughts on the day:
--Getting up in the morning: probable
--Finding the subway: possible
--Getting out of the apartment: impossible
Yeah, it took us about ten tries to have everything we needed. Ah well.
Stop one: Shake Shack
--Lunchtime with Valerie, amazing burgers! We got a Shroom Burger, which was a breaded portabello mushroom stuffed with really good cheese. Apparently the line gets so long it goes around Madison Square Park. Our line only took about twenty minutes.
Stop...meh, I'm sick of labeling stops. It's just not my thing. So we got to see Union Square, I sang about Emma Goldman so the earth is still on its axis. And that was totally a run-on sentence. We had lots of fun with the subway system. Got lost a little. Suffocated in the subway system. Suffocated from the never-ending stampede of people from either direction. The usual. Now, pay attention, because this is the important part. We were directed to a place called Rice to Riches, which is an ice cream parlor of Rice Pudding. Aaaaahhhhhh...heaven! We had mango and banana. It was a funky looking place too. We finally made our way to ground zero. There's no memorial there anymore, but lots of construction. We hooked up with our musician friend for a little while, and then headed on to dinner at Moustache with our cousins. At this point Elizabeth and I had both had horrible headaches, not aided by the heat, but indeed aided by the emergency stop at the pharmacy. And now we are in the apartment munching on red velvet cupcakes. Lots of fun, lots of wandering, lots of eating. Fun fun fun. Well, that's all I've got. For today. Heh heh.

Did ew know...?
The best of part about big cities is the little restaurants.
Thank you for choosing Lod's Little Tidbits, and have a nice day.

I Spy With My Little Eye...

Today, my little eye saw quite a bit. Some that has been, some that is, and some that has not yet come to pass.

Has Been...
Legend has it that at the Chirping Chicken restaurant sits a cursed table. Outside and in the corner, this Mesa Diablo terrorizes and ultimately traumatizes unsuspecting sittersby. Many have required therapy. Well...it's a legend now anyway.
Airplane bathrooms were built only to taunt you while the seat belt light is on.
Delta. It's a has-been, people, it's a has-been.

Is...
The ocean has veins. There's the glassy, slushy water, and then these veins of the most shiny, sparkly water you've ever seen. It looks like it's writhing and weaving through the rest of the water.
The people of New York are very friendly. They speak of video games, music, traveling, and snobby French people. New York Drivers are rude. They're a different species.
When you see two men walking in the park with matching t-shirts, one pink one blue, well, I'll let you figure that one out.
When in doubt, use the damsel-in-distress card. It works.
Fireflies really do exist. I've seen them.

NYCTP...
While sitting in the airplane, you have the unique opportunity to observe the myriad heads in front of you. It's a moment when you need to be in a musical, so that all the heads can start swaying together.
Someday, the New York City subway seats will all band together and form the SAIPOG...Seats Against Improper Placement of Gum. Out of this union will spawn the PAROAFA...People Against Removal Of Articles From Acronyms. Chaos will ensue.

Did ew know...?
NYCTP does not stand for New York City Toilet Paper, Not Your Crap To Pawn, or Naughty Young Chickens Taunt People.
Thank you for choosing Lod's Little Tidbits, and have a nice day.

Little Moments Like That

Some of you may not know me as the emotional type. Of course, that would probably be the random people who accidentally wandered onto this site and don't know me at all. The rest of you know I'm a sap. I probably cry when fruit flies die...heh...scratch that. Point being, I have recently had some rather emotional moments, and I thought I'd share them with you. Try not to cry.

1) I was sitting in my room, looking at my calendar on the wall. The monthly calendar. It was my funny kitty calendar, and proudly displayed the month of July. It suddenly ocurred to me that I will never get to use those last five months.

2) My kitty (and perhaps this should have been number one) doesn't understand that I'm leaving. I cry when I cuddle her. Tonight is my last night with her, and I'm in here blogging instead.

3) Saturday night, I walked away from my last work shift. I was dizzy. I wanted to pass out from either panic or euphoria (probably both). Then I saw puke on the ground. But that's neither here nor there. It's been cleaned up.

4) I had a going away party tonight. It took us forever to edge our way to the door. How can you end a goodbye party? You just can't say goodbye enough times.

5) For those of us who can read - and if you can't, why are you even here? I don't have pictures up yet - we understand chapters in a book. Ever noticed the chapters in your life? I closed a chapter when I finished school. I closed a chapter when I met a singer I had listened to all my childhood and discovered that they really exist. I closed a chapter when I finished three ancient Sega games I had been pining for around ten years. This, my friends, is a chapter, and though I am excited to leave, it's a frightening thing, closing those chapters. After all, starting a new chapter, rehooking your reader, it's the hardest part.

We leave in five hours, and I have no idea what comes after. But then, what is life if you can't step out of the box and let God take the wheel...if you'll pardon the mixed metaphor. And if you won't...well, go ahead. Just try and erase it. See what happens.

Did ew know...?
Airport people have no sense of humour.
Thank you for choosing Lod's Little Tidbits, and have a nice day.