Sandals quick getaway

   So we left Boston at 5:30 and arrived in Jamaica at 11:40 am. The Sandals Montego Bay resort is literally next to the runway! In ten minutes we were being escorted to our room where we got the first of many free and joyful surpirses. Now we had booked the second lowest room category. The Seagrapes building rooms overlook the tennis court and gardens but a quick walk around the building lands guests first to the swim up pool bar, then the hot tub, then the fire pit, then the carribean sea! So although the view isnt the most perfect thing the proximity is wonderful. Vacation rooms, like real estate are all about location location location!
    But instead of turning right to the Seagrapes building our Sandals guide turned left towards a small 2 story cottage. I said to him. "Where are we going? I know we are in the Seagrapes building. We overlook the tennis courts and gardens and apparently the runway!"
    With a big laugh my Sandals guide said, "I am sorry my lady but your view for your stay is..." Then he dramatically opened the back door revealing a huge room and at the end of the room, out the front door we could see our patio and the ocean, "You view is the sea!" turns out Sandals and our TripGuy.com travel agent had bumped us up 9 room catagories to a junior butler suite (sans butler.) The bathroom was bigger than our first apartment with its gigantic walk in shower, double vanities, and whirl pool tub.
    There was also a thank you complimentary bottle of wine and champagne. (Sadly those were removed from us during a bag search at the airport. Apparently you cannot bring liquor in your take on, even unopened liquor unless you BUY IT AT THE AIRPORT!) Had I known that I would have gulped it all down during our stay!
   Anyway there was a thank you snack, welcome home tshirts, and even an offer for a free breakfast on our patio in honor of Donnie's birthday.
   Every moment of our stay was wonderful relaxing and fun. Even at full capacity there is always a little hideway for 2 people to spend some time alone. Don and I found every hammock, swing, and adirondack chair for 2 in the gardens, near the ocean. etc.
   We played pool where it is possible that Donnie outragesously cheats and I just have not caught him. YET. We played darts, and checkers, and shuffle board. We sailed and kayaked, and snorkaled. (I even saw a scary eel which was neat and gigantic.)
    There was plenty of time to fall alseep by the ocean, float in the salty water or swim up to the bar in the pool and order something sewwt and fruity. We ate way too much food and saw all kinds of birds including pea cocks which reside at the neighboring Sandals resort. I almost went to the clothing optional beach at that resort but just could not bring myself to do it. Maybe someday.
    Our trip home was equally full of free and fun. The direct flight home was over sold and after much negotiating we were given 2 tickets in the emergency row (more leg room) to Philly where a free shuttle drove us to a swanky hotel with free food vouchers and then caught the morning lfight to Boston.....first class. We are so lucky.
    But I think more than luck plays into it. I am not sure I believe in Karma although many of my friends do. But we sat near NY folks who were also bumped from their flight. They were so mad at US Air they screamed- SCREAMED- at the ticket desk lady in Jamaica! She had to ask the guy to stop screaming at her as she was not his child.
   They were furious and fought and when they heard the next day that we got first class tickets they got mad all over again. But as I listened to this guy I was stunned. Can you imagine a grown man screaming at some poor customer service lady? Its not like he called some big mucky muck in corporate US AIR. He yelled at this poor owman who was doing the best she could. He acknowldeged it was not the lady's fault, but that did not prevent him from yelling at her. He did not have work today nor did he have little kids to get home too.
   When we had a problem last year at Sandals Grande Ocho Rio we sent a separate letter about our concerns to our travel agent who passed it along to management. We wanted the problem acknowdelged and addressed but why scream about it? Anyway out of that letter we got 3 free comp nights, the very nights we just spent at Montego Bay.
   I dont think its karma. Plenty of good and bad happen with much unfairness and randomness to it. But I do know sticking up for yourself in a polite and perhaps firm way is the way to go. That and have a little patience and a sense of wonder.
    Now I have free tickets for our next adventure. Plus I found a get away place that is 5 hours away, and so many joyful sexy funny paeceful loving memories!
  As a final note I shall just say thanks to my travel companion who is willing to wedge his long legs into a plane seat to adventure with me plus sing Beatles songs for me at the Sandals talent show, then give ME the prize he wins for it. In spite of his determination to hog the blankets wherever we go, he is also willing to get me popcorn, fetch the sunscreen, share his last bite of bacon... and never ever in his entire life scream at another person who is just trying to do their job.

Escaping for a while

     Tomorrow morning right at this time I will be in an airplane, getting ready to touch down in Jamaica! For three nights free, well mostly free. To complain about all the last minute details would be selfish and really, who cares how much running around there is when in 24 hours there will be beach, sand, waves, food, and beverage for free, well mostly free?
    Last year Don and I saved up for 5 nights in Jamaica. We have made a pact to try to get away for relaxation just the 2 of us. No more of this 'waiting until retirement.' If my neck surgery taught me anything, its that who knows what our health will be in 20 years? Better to enjoy now our active adventures. Besides marriages are falling by the wayside in our anniversary category (nearly 30 years) we want to nurture what we have, to KEEP what we have!
     Our trip to Jamaica opened our eyes to the wonder of the Sandals business promise. We thought our 2 trips to St Lucia were magical because of the island and were not certain Sandals in Ocho Rios could ever match it. Well it turns out Sandals delivers wonderful service whichever island you are on, and although as a destination St Lucia has it all over Jamaica, Jamaica is much closer!
   During our stay at the Grande in Ocho we had wonderful experiences including being up graded about 6 room categories, we went for a camel ride, fed ostriches (not a true Jamaican experience you say? Well I had a ball.) We glass bottom boated, and sailed, and snorkeled, all included. It was wonderful and marred only by one insistent inconvenient nuisance, the photographing by professionals of the newly upgraded Sandals.
   When we returned our travel agent Ruth Demuth of Trip Guy (highly recommend!) asked us questions about our stay, specifically if the photo shoot had interfered. So I sent her 2 responses, the first one highlighting our fabulous time and the second highlighting the problems caused by the photo shoot. Now I never would have even mentioned them had she not asked, and I did so in a separate email because of course we had an amazing time. We never let  floods, broken down vans, forgotten suitcases or anything else ruin a trip, why let photographers do us in? We are sturdy travelers!
   She instructed me that these very problems are why we should utilise a travel agent (I did not know this but it will make subsequent trips even better now that I do!) She also sent both letters to Sandals management.
    Sandals offered us 3 comp nights to make right our dissatisfaction. Isn't that amazing? Now they knew by our first email that we would not be 'badmouthing them.' They knew we were overall happy customers. They even knew we had plans to go back. But they still offered us the free nights!
   So Don and I picked the closest Sandals to an airport to cut down on travel, and Sandals Mobay here we come. We are not planning any great off resort travel adventures since we arrive Wednesday and leave Saturday. Although 2 local Sandals resorts are available to visit. One has its own private island and we can eat swim and play there for free!
   This trip was suppose to celebrate my graduating with my Masters. 2 points of a failed math mtel stand in my way. As a matter of fact, I am taking a course now and the workload for it is overwhelming between now and Monday when the first class officially meets! Plus a week from Saturday I am taking the middle school general science test so there is a ton of chemistry to study.
   Therefore, this trip will really be an escape! No math, no science, no kids, no fretting. Just a little time to relax with Don, focus on each other, and maybe sit at the swim up bar!

Facebook 'friends' and negativity in your private space.

   I cannot remember if I have written about this before. Perhaps I just spoke about it with a couple of close friends. I have a dilema and I am sure I am not alone. It has to do with Facebook and how people's comments hit close to home.
   In real life you tend to hang around people who share your basic belief system. Many close friend's tend to have gone to school with you, grew up in your neighborhood, that sort of thing. So for intance many of my friends are Catholic. People like my friends Maureen and Eileen, heck we made First Communion and Confirmation together! Lots of my friends no longer attend church for various reasons, some personal some global. But that is ok. As far as I know, no one is  offended that I go and I am not offended that they do not.
   My circle of friends for the most part is white, Judeo- Christian, American. This I suppose is mostly because I grew up in a small town and still live and work in one where most of the make up is thus. My friends seem evenly divided Democrat and Republican not that I have looked too closely. I pretty much steer away from political conversations because I often get frustrated by how the conversation evolves. I suppose thats why they say never bring up politics or religion at a party!
   Not all my friends have kids, not all are into animals, not all have deep faith, not all are well educated, not all are positive people. Not all the people on FB are really even my 'friends'. We are coworkers or rabbit breeders, that sort of thing. We share a connection and so a FB friendship. I nearly always accept when someone 'friend' requests me. I rarely think to go through my friends list and 'weed them out' nor do I pay any attention if someone chooses to 'unfriend' me. It is such an odd concept really- Friending and unfriending people you do not usually know intimately well.
   But I struggled during this last presidential election and the terrible tragedy at Sandy Hook. Many people felt very differently about things than I did. Certainly I found many comments thought provoking. But dozens of people mired themselves in nasty creepy negativity. Why must the other ideas or other side be so terrible? How does that make your side more right?
   This leads me to todays general topic in the media and thus Facebook. The Pope has made the unusual decision to retire. Some of my Youth Ministry and priest friends immediately offered their opinions and beliefs or clarifications. I found this enlightneing. Some FB friends cracked jokes which were quite funny. My sister posted about how the geek in her would immerse herself this Lent in all the traditions of electing a new pope. I loved it all.
   But then today a FB friend posted the following "The catholic church a systems that cultivates promotes, and produces sexual predators."
   I was sitting in my newly warm room (now that power was finally restored) sipping tea when I read this. It felt like a very personal attack. I was offended deeply, I even felt threatened in my own home. It took me a long while to try to sort out my emotions and to contemplate how to respond.
  Now I understand people's negativity is theirs, they own it. But when you are sitting in your own home and read something like that on your computer, it feels very much like a violation. If a person said that to me in a crowd or at a party, I know I would say "I would really like to talk with you about this some more but you need to know I found that statement very upsetting."
   But on the computer it is a very different thing, or it feels like it. Also I think the printed word has a very powerful affect on me. Quite frankly some things people have posted have changed how I think of them and in a very negative way.
   I like having an eclectic group of friends. I treasure my bunny people, my youth minister friends, my coworkers. I have learned a great deal. But I need to do something about my friend list. The question is, do I delete them and tell them privately why? Do I block their posts and not say anything?
    I love Facebook because it allows me to stay in touch with people I would rarely see, like my sister, but who I enjoy. I feel it has brought me closer to long distance aquaintences and made me see people in more intimate and loving ways, like when coworkers cheerfully brag about thier kids accomplishments, or friends talk about their new homes or pet additons. I even have a few friends whom I have never met in person but I respect and adiore them from their FB comments over the years.
   But I do not want the deep negavitvity to pour into my home from my computer as I sip tea and try to catch up with people.

Blizzards and things

  When I was growing up storms of great power were wonderfully exciting. Well, that is how I remember it anyway. The Blizzard of 78 was more of a reality check, when my mom was trapped at Brockton hospital for a week working, and our dear neighbor, a fireman, suffered a heart attack at a call during the Blizzard. A teenage girl up the street was also killed playing chicken with a downed live wire.
    But for the most part it meant reading by candle light, missing school, playing in the snow and gawking at all the downed trees. I wish my parents were around to see if I am remembering accurately!
   As an adult however big storms have not been as fun and exciting. I always think the kids will have fun. But when they were little I worried about lit candles and they always seemed to bicker more and not be able to entertain themselves. Now that they are older they always seem to want to be at someone elses' house and are frantic without constant connection to their shows, games, and friends.
   I get all Little House On The Prairie and keep the fire burning and have 3 hot meals a day inventively cooked on just the stove top. Pa Blauss keeps the driveway and animal pathways clear of snow and brings in armloads of freshly chopped firewood. We are always well stocked for 2 days without power and in minutes I have candles, water, flashlights etc ready and able.
   No one seems particularly impressed however. As a matter of fact on the night before a storm as I fill water bottles for the animals and toilet, they mock. "Oh it won't come. The storm will go out to see." Hell will freeze over before they ever say. "Good thinking mom."
  We had no power from Friday night until Monday night and sure enough I was completely stocked for the first 2 days. Thankfully my friend Carol let us refill bottles at her house and gave us  extra firewood, when Don's pile became too wet and the logs too large to chop. Our  friend/neighbor Joanne lent a generator which kept the living room in the low 50s and recharged Yon's precious DVD player.
    Last night after the power returned Don and I reassessed our prep plans. I am definitely going to pick up more wet wipes and keep them in the emergency kit. All the years we had little kids we simply had them in the house, but no more. My one box of them (that I use at bunny shows) was a godsend so we added that to the list. We also decided to keep 100$ stashed. This is a tough one, since at any given moment Don and I might together have 10 dollars in our pockets. He never buys anything so does not keep money. I view small bills in my wallet as extra money and end up buying a treat for myself or whichever kid is with me.
   But when the town began getting limited power back many places could only take cash. Don spent an hour in a gas line. (Full disclosure he did apologise and say those rare but magic words "YOU WERE RIGHT". I had wanted a full tank of gas, he thought it silly. But we were running the van to keep cell phones charged.)Anyway he watched many people ahead of him get to the front of the line after waiting, only to be sent away because they did not have cash.
   Overall we did well. There is minimal damage to the goat roof which will not cost much to fix. I only threw a way a few pounds of meat, although the chickens did feast upon defrosted pizzas and Hot Pockets. Everyone kept their sense of humor intact, and Joe and Yon didn't actually kill us with smoke inhalation when they took turns tending the fire.
   It was stressful and would have been more fun if I did not have to be the entertainment director for the kids. Our biggest worry turned out to be the parrot who nearly froze to death the first night. After that he remained closest to the fire and after his initial fear I think he rather enjoyed the heat and attention from everyone. Some of my friends are still without power and others are dealing with faulty heaters, well pumps, and flooding. We have been spared that and got to enjoy the camaraderie and excitement that a big storm brings. AND a renewed appreciation for modern conveniences.