The Chit Chat Chit Chat Thread

[MySmallWorldof4]

I would love to try the white cheddar. When I was in high school, there was a drive in movie theater in the next town over, only an hour from us. So we used to get a car load together on a weekend and go to the movies, and we'd go to Walmart first and load up on snacks, like popcorn and soda. We always got the White Cheddar popcorn, because it was SOOOO good. White Cheddar mac 'n'cheese sounds interesting enough to try! Next time we're in the States, I guess!

Annie’s white cheddar is better than their regular mac n cheese.

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

And what happens if someone doesn't come at the last minute? Does that get registered that there's one fewer competing, so the rooms even out?

No clue. I do know that there is a way around it. My neighbor has a kid in the cheer program my dd is in. Her dd is on a higher level team. Last year they were required to stay at a certain hotel. She and her dd were listed in the room with another parent and team member. She just never stayed in the room. She rented a small house through air bnb with her husband and other 4 kids. When you check in , the hotel doesn’t need to see everyone. It is just the travel company that needs to see all the kids booked.

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

You mean a descant?

Yeah, that pettiness didn't exactly go away in college, but there were enough other people that I could just ignore the mean girl. And Sopranos always get a bad rep for being catty, but in my experience it was the altos who were the worst. It was an Alto who threatened to beat me up, for outsinging an Alto. It was an Alto who made the poster about me stealing the parts in the musical. And in college, there was this girl I couldn't stand because she was just so mean to everyone. There was a girl singing Alto, and she had a very similar voice to mine...I loved singing with her...but this girl told her she was just a lazy soprano, because she didn't have the deep timbre that Altos typically have. And the same gal, when I said that I didn't like singing solo, told me that I shouldn't be majoring in music if I didn't like singing solos. I said I was a music education major...I didn't need to sing solo. She said "What's the difference...you still have to stand up there by yourself! You shouldn't be here." And she commented about Jazz that she wasn't suited for Jazz music, because you have to blend and she insisted that her voice be heard above everyone else's. And when she was looking into grad schools, she chose the one that was a small program so there was no competition and she was sure to be the star and get all the solos. She didn't care about the education she'd be getting as long as everyone was telling her how amazing she was. She had a baby and she was a single mom...sometimes when she didn't have a sitter, she'd bring him to choir rehearsals. She was letting him crawl all over the place and I had my water bottle sitting on the floor and he crawled up to it and tried to put it in his mouth, so I took it away from him and he started to cry and she says to me "He can have it." Um, no he can't, as it's MINE and I don't want his slobber all over it. You can't let your baby have things that belong to other people. She was just so arrogant and a total diva...worse than any soprano I've ever met. But yeah, solo singing is just not worth it to me. I can do it if I have to, but it's not something I enjoy, and it's not something that I seek out. I avoid it if I can, because in my experience, nothing good ever comes from putting yourself forward for that kind of thing. I think you have to have really thick skin to be any sort of performer, and I just don't have that.


ETA: I'm caught up!!!

Spoiler

In this thread. Now for all the others.

I guess there is drama everywhere, and not just on the theater stage or tv. I thought cheer was bad. Wow.

 

[donaldtoo]

Nice your in my happy place! Enjoy!

Thanks...!!!
Indeed, I remember you mentionin’ that before...didn’t you and the hubs get married there...?!!!

We did hafta’ go through a checkpoint to and from the dolphin encounter that we were unaware of. Security guys with M-16’s. We found out later that there had been some recent rival gang activity in the area and they were just tryin’ to make sure there was no flare up with them tryin’ to get to each other, or some such thing. I’m sure it was OK, as otherwise it would not be good AT ALL for their tourism industry, but...

 

[donaldtoo]

That was a long drive from Galveston. Is it normally a long drive, or did you stop a lot?

We only actually did our usual Buc-ee’s stop, this time in League City. We were there for about 30 mins. Most of the delay in the Houston area is still from road construction. That part of Texas is growin’ like crazy too, and it’s a major task keeping up with all the infrastructure.
Once we finally got on 290 headin’ west, except for a few hiccups, we pretty much flew back the rest of the way.
But, from the Port of Galveston to where we live in far northwest Austin is a breeze now, as we’ve done it enough times...!!!

 

[StarWarsGirl]

You mean a descant

Yes that. My brain doesn't like to work on Saturdays.

 

[donaldtoo]

I hope you had fun. My sister and I did the dolphin experience at Dolphin Cove in Jamaica as well and we had a blast. I hope you got to eat some good jerk chicken in Jamaica too.

No jerk chicken (I had it last cruise though...!!!!! ). But, I did have a Red Stripe on the beach...!!!!!

 

[SteveBrickNJ]

I was a volunteer cashier at my local High School's Marching Band Competition. At the end I was able to go up to see the host band perform.

 

[Rista1313]

I love her sweater. Did she make it?

She sure did. And she made me this beautiful wrap scarf thing for my birthday.

 

[donaldtoo]

One last post for tonight...
Proof of my flip flops on the beach in Jamaica (unless, an impostor...?!?!?! )
Oldest DD, SonIL, and our dear lil’ Emy are in the background with matchin’ swimwear...it’s just a perfect day...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Rista1313]

That's so scary!! How is he now?

Slowly but surely he’s getting better. He really ticked off some nerves I think!

 

[Rista1313]

On the train on the way home.. it was a good exhausting day!

The train is stopped though.... dunno if there’s a cow on the tracks or what

 

[Rista1313]

Indeed, I remember you mentionin’ that before...didn’t you and the hubs get married there...?!!!

Yep!!! Good memory!

 

[Rista1313]

I can’t believe I forgot to post this from today!

I thought of @dryerlintfan and @Tuvalu when I saw this! (I asked permission to take the picture because I don’t know these kids!)

 

[Cesar R M]

Let us know how the show was after you get well.

im back home..

 

[Gabe1]

Thanks for sharing! Once I get caught up here, I'll have to start catching up in trip reports and other threads. I did keep up with @dryerlintfan 's TR because it had just started and it was live, so I followed it. But the rest I will just have to catch up on, one by one.

My daughter and I are reading @dryerlintfan trip report bit by bit in the car reading it aloud while doing odds and ends.

Nothing is better than living the Disney dream than through the eyes of a preschooler. We are about half way through. I can’t wait for 2 years to see “A’s” IQ. THAT YOUNG WOMAN HAS HER ACT TOGETHER AND MIGHTY BRAIN POWER HAPPENING. Never met her but I am a fan.

 

[Gabe1]

That was always the best part of Gay Days - the “Beach Ball” at TL. Slides at night with drinks and a DJ.

I am surprised adisney does not exploit Typhoon more for night time me events. But maybe they do and I’m not aware. This was a special convention. It was to be Typhoon Margaritaville and Blizzard. But Blizzard was removed because of rehab. Duplicate of Typhoon replacement. Nope. Parks instead.
But the food and adult beverage a loss.

 

[Gabe1]

A convention at Disney Parks is a bonus if you already have annual passes. Evening hour ya go to parks where others would not given the daily admission. Win Win.

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

She sure did. And she made me this beautiful wrap scarf thing for my birthday.
View attachment 417934

Beautiful. My grandmother used to knit for me loads of sweaters. I saved a few of them for memories. She tried to teach me to knit, but I never got into it.

 

[Songbird76]

The uncle I listed was also a participant in the battle of the bulge. He was hospitalized briefly for what was then called shell shock (earlier version of PTSD), but had many problems that included alcohol addiction after he returned, couldn't hold a job because of his drinking and ended up being a disaster for his family. Both of his children became Alcoholics and died young from the results of drinking.

How sad. Yes, my uncle also had "shell shock" and his doctor prescribed getting a dog. Apparently having something to care for and nurture can help focus the person on that rather than on the trauma, and dogs can help break them out of a flashback. So my uncle always had a dog. He never talked about the war. He was always such a gentle, sweet man, so it's hard for me to see him in a war setting. He was 13 years older than my mom, and their father died when my mom was 2, so her 2 older brothers were kind of father figures for her. This uncle was the oldest brother, and he sent her things from Europe...wooden shoes, lace gloves, a charm bracelet...and he paid for my mom's piano lessons and I believe he taught her to drive, but I'm not sure about that one. Her other brother was only 10 years older than her, and he was too young to enlist, though he wanted to. My grandmother wouldn't give him permission and the war ended just before he came of age.
My dad's brother was the other one who fought in WWII, and I know he was in Europe, but I'm not sure where. He came back with alcohol problems, too. He died much younger than his siblings because of the complications, though he had been sober for decades before his passing. (His third wife was the one who handed out nickels at Halloween.) He lived in our town, and volunteered at the elementary school, and taught leather and woodworking in boy scouts or 4H...maybe both. But he was very active in the community once he was sober, and he lived next door to my brother's best friend, whose dad was also a recovering alcoholic, so they supported and helped each other with sobriety. I remember he used to drive a tractor all over town and I found out later that it was because he had lost his drivers license due to drunk driving, and he didn't need a license to drive the tractor, which couldn't be driven on the street. But our town was small enough that he could use that tractor as transportation wherever he needed to go. I didn't know as a kid that my uncle actually had children, they were all just grown up before I came along, and they had nothing to do with their dad because of the alcoholism. So for the longest time, I didn't know I had cousins on my dad's side....I thought my dad was the only one who had kids, but his siblings both did...they just didn't really have much contact with the family. When my uncle died, all the kids came to the funeral with their families, and I was shocked to learn I had cousins!
It's kind of sad to think that all that was probably at least partly because of the war. If he hadn't been a soldier, he may not have taken up drinking to cope, and then he might have had a great relationship with his kids, and I would have had cousins to play with growing up. (His kids had kids my age.) The war certainly took its toll on families, even decades after it was over.