Where's the Tornado Toto?

LOL....of all the places....

Yep, that's right...I'm stuck for a week in Edwardsville, Kansas. A bit hot, a bit muggy, but the people are friendly and the hotel has heard of air conditioning. People are very very friendly, down to earth, and extremely generous. I have noticed, as of late, that the further I move east in the U.S.A., the more sparse the technology and use thereof...

Here's an example:

In Phoenix, Arizona, I was hooking up my DVD player to the big TV I had in my hotel room. Strangely, for reasons even I don't quite comprehend, I like to watch movies on screens bigger than the palm of my hand. Go figure... The television was a simple Panasonic model, but plug ins for video capabilities were available! Wooo hOOO....I'm in luck... I'll settle down, watch a movie, relax from the excrutiating heat, and not think about what the repairs for the truck are costing me in lost wages, time, and frustration. Hook ups are connected, DVD player is happily playing, and I grab the remote to switch to the Auxillary/Video channel.

BUT wait!!! There is NO button for such a thing, not on the remote, not on the TV itself,..... no secret buttons on the bed,.... under the desk,.... or hidden behind the curtains. ARGH.. How do I turn the TV to the video auxillary channels???? Panic sets in.
I ring the front desk.....okay, not to be a moron, but why can't this television switch to the AUX/ Video line? The front desk doesn't know..maybe maintenance does... hold please... wait...wait...wait.. then an old man answers and hasn't a clue as to what I'm asking about. Well, scratch THAT hotel off my list. (I know what you're thinking, *what a priss*.. but I have so few creature comforts on the road, it really annoys me when I can't even play a DVD without a fight.)

So, 1,370 miles from Phoenix, the truck grinds its transmission into Goron Dust. This apparently is just not my week. Another hotel, another miserably hot day, and like the bellhop that I should have become, I drag all my things to the new hotel...which...doesn't even HAVE a TV.

Sigh..... well...I'm in luck... they at least have showers!!!!
;)

The Magicians Owl

Storms Up!

Welcome to Arizona!! Well I'm stuck here for a couple of days. I've got to say that while the people are friendly, the weather certainly is not!!

The heat, humidity, and now added dust storm is a bit to much to handle! :) In little less than 5 minutes, the wind picked up, the road was covered by dust, and no rain to speak of! Bummer. However, at least the storm allows me to settle down for the night, type some emails out, and watch some TV. If anyone has seen a new movie out that's AWESOME! let me know. :) I might take in a show while the storm blows itself out.

Bad Cop, No Donut!

Blind Date: REQUIREMENT? (Being Blind!!)

A friend called me the other day, "Wanna go on a blind date?"... after a long pause (not really sure if I did or didn't), she asks.. "are ya there?"....

Okay, so I said "yeah" (and decided that at least I could have a decent meal and get away from the book illustrations). Night out couldn't be all bad, right?
Blind dates can be intriguing. If asked, most people would say, "I want this in a man, I want this in a woman, I hate this..." etc. Often I have found that there are many qualities I'd never have thought attractive, that someone else shows desirable. Keeping my opinions and desires flexible, has allowed me to find some very unique friends, even if they aren't potential mates.

Any blind date has requirements: meet at a mutual public place, bring your own car (you can get away faster if it goes wrong), and never give on more about yourself than they can track down later...i.e. don't drink!
Sitting at the table in the restaurant, I wait for my date..... and wait...and wait.....played with the silverware......made an origami rabbit out of my napkin.... made an igloo from the cream mini-moo's....counted the cars in the parking lot..... and then my "date" walks in.
(Punctuality IS important guys...it lets her know that you actually respect her time and trouble for dating in the first place.)

Okay..no problem..he might have been held up in traffic. We mutually shake hands, intros, sit down to order. Then he starts it. First words out of his mouth, "OMG, you are SO beautiful." I smile, thank him for the compliment...ask him what he does for a living. He interrupted me for the next sentence..."I can't believe it, you are gorgeous." Okay, I thank him again, slightly annoyed now. Next sentence, "I didn't think Casey would set me up with a dog or anything...but you are a knock out." Now I'm getting pissy. "Wow..I can't believe I haven't seen you around, you are just so beautiful," ....and the date is now officially over as far as I'm concerned. "So, IF I was a 'dog', then this date wouldn't have happened?" I asked, irritated, (wishing I was a dog). Basically the long, awkward answer that followed was "yes".
(I have nothing against a compliment of course..but the kind of compliment can really turn a girl off, especially if she holds her intellect over her beauty. )

Myself, I'm not into "looks" I'm into brain and manners. Most women can date really ugly men, ya know why? because they may possess a bravado, charm, and intellectual instinct that goes waaayyy past looks. A flattering comment isn't a bad thing, just don't make it the ONLY thing that you seem to want. A girl is not the sum of her body parts. Sometimes, there is actually a human being there looking, searching, even desperate for someone who is going to look beyond the hair, eyes, breasts, legs and butt...and find a REAL person underneath. Why is there no one that can be interested in a girl as a person, and not a 30 minute e-ride?

Are there indeed no gentlemen left?
A very disappointed owl retreats back to her perch, chastising herself for going out in the first place.

The Magicians Owl