Journal Entries
John Paul II
Posted Apr 3, 2005
On a personal note:
Attending World Youth Day 1993 in Denver was one of the greatest experiences of my life. John Paul II took such delight in spending time with young people, and it was wonderful to see the way he enjoyed interacting with everyone. I've been blessed to see him in person on a few occasions, but none meant more to me than that experience. It was after that particular trip that my brother started calling my sister and I "Pope-pourris." 
I suppose I've always looked upon him as a grandfatherly figure ... old-fashioned for sure, with some infuriating opinions at times, but with such love for his "family." I'm going to truly miss him, but I'm glad his pain is finally over. I found myself praying for that more than for his healing lately. I know he'd rather be where he is now, and although I mourn his loss, I can't be too sad, as I'm sure he's gotten his reward.
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Latest reply: Apr 3, 2005
Bequia, sweet sweet
Posted Mar 15, 2005
TJ and I just had the best vacation we've ever had. We were kinda referring to it as our second honeymoon ... but then again, the first one hadn't really ended yet. Enjoy my overly long rundown ...
Sodit, February 28
After 2 hours sleep, we headed for the airport. Our first flight left LI at 5:30am. We landed in Philly about an hour later. Of course we were in Terminal A, and we had to catch our next flight at Terminal F. They had a shuttle bus, but it only went to Terminal C. To go any further would have meant that people wouldn't have to carry baggage far, and they don't want any of *that* nonsense! 
We had a couple of hours to wait, so we ate the bagels I brought, and waited. We were worried about the big storm coming, and not being able to fly out. Luckily, the snow started falling just as we took off. We were hoping to sleep a bit on the 5 hour flight, but they're wonderful at making the plane go "beep" every time you doze off, and of course they had to keep making announcements. "We'll be serving you beverages in a few minutes." ... "We're serving you beverages now." ... "We're collecting the glasses from the beverages we just served you now." ... "We'll be opening the Duty Free Shop shortly." ... "The Duty Free Shop will be opening in 10 minutes, and here's what's on sale!" ... "The Duty Free Shop is now open." ... "The Duty Free Shop will be closing in 10 minutes." ... "Anyone else for the Duty Free Shop?" ... "The Duty Free Shop is now closed." ARGH! 
We arrived in Barbados for the next leg of our trip, and were rushed through the airport to get our connecting flight to Bequia. We got to stand around outside ... in the heat ... which we weren't used to ... wearing jeans ... while wondering if they collected and loaded our luggage onto our plane. About a half an hour later, they took half the people waiting and loaded one plane, and took the rest of us about 15 minutes later. It was a really beat up old plane, but still worked! We hopped to Union Island (very scary ... or cool landing ... scary according to me, cool according to TJ), then to Canouan, then finally to Bequia! We arrived at about 5:30pm. And guess what? Our luggage beat us there! They had put it on that first flight, so we luckily didn't have to waste time the next day schlepping to the airport. My parents met us at the airport. My Mom had thoughtfully picked us up a few items for breakfast the next day, and cooked dinner for us that night. It was great to see them again, and my Dad looked great. He basically went from the hospital to Bequia 2 months before, so it was good to see that Bequia had it's usual effect on him. He thrives there. After checking in, we walked down to my parent's house by the water for dinner. By the time we finished dinner, I was finished too. We did the 3 minute walk back to our room, and went to bed at 9:30pm (which is 8:30pm at home ... just about halfway through my regular workday). It worked out fairly well, since we were now on a day schedule, and believe me, Bequia is a daytime kinda place!
Wimpy, March 1
6:55am: BBBBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!! Apparently, the people next door are doing some home improvement. After a half an hour with the buzz saw, the hammering started. Okay, okay, we're up! 
We had breakfast on the veranda, which (while noisy) was wonderful! It was warm, sunny, and the view was awesome! It was a little ritual we enjoyed every day. Here's a link to a website that has a great photo gallery of the place we stayed: http://www.bequia-information.com/0000/pages/bequia_details.asp?ID=74 They don't have photos of the view we had from the veranda, but we'll be getting our photos back soon enough. We surprised my folks by showing up bright and early. They're used to waking us up when calling at 1pm! I borrowed my Mom's sink and clothesline to do a little laundry (all hand washing here!), and later TJ and I made our way into Port Elizabeth for some "provisioning" ... mostly drinks, but some snacks. It was our plan to eat out and really treat ourselves. After lunch at the Green Boley (TJ loved his first chicken roti), we headed back to put on our bathing suits and bob in the ocean for awhile. It was the day before Mom's 70th birthday, and my folks made reservations for lobster night at Tanty Pearls. The taxi ride itself was pretty exciting, since the restaurant is perched on the top of a steep, steep road. Dinner was lovely, even if they did run out of lobster.
Wibble, March 2
No construction noise this morning, although it was fairly exciting on another level: I got locked into the bathroom. The handle broke. There were two small windows high up that I couldn't possibly fit through, so I was stuck. TJ found an employee of the apartments sweeping the road, and asked him for help. He figured getting someone else to break down the door is less costly than doing it himself. It took 45 minutes, but I was finally released, after spending the time flashing back to a Dick Van Dyke Show episode where Laura got her toe stuck in the tub faucet. It was pretty funny. Later in the day I showed TJ the basics of snorkelling in Friendship Bay. He had problems with water getting into the face mask, but nobody ever said a mustache makes for a good seal on your face mask! We'll try again another day. Mom's Birthday ... and she's invited us for dinner. Nothing like cooking your own birthday dinner, but that's my Mom.
Thing, March 3
TJ and I headed for Lower Bay where I was going to give him more pointers for snorkelling. He still had a lot of trouble, so we decided to go into Port Elizabeth on another day to shop for a nose clip or a new face mask for him. We had lunch at Coco's, which was wonderful. TJ was falling more and more in love with Bequia, and I was getting to do things I never did on Bequia before. When I visited all the other times, I stayed with my folks, and they're not night people. I was worried about going out at night by myself, so never got to do any of the night things. This was the night I'd finally get to go to the jump-up at the Frangipani. They have a BBQ, and a steel band plays. It was wonderful. We went early to see the sunset, and I got to see the green flash! TJ didn't, but I figure the good luck I got from seeing it extends to both of us.
Poets, March 4
Shopping day for a face mask ... as we go from store to store, we find out that nobody on Bequia has heard of nose clips or nose plugs. *sigh* But, we got TJ a new face mask ... and shortly afterward found a store that sold nose clips. Oh well ... when he tried it, he liked the old face mask with the nose clip and didn't even try the new face mask. Later we had a candlelight dinner by the water at Moskito on Friendship Bay. It just keeps getting better and better ... 
Doobry, March 5
We hiked down to Princess Margaret Beach with Mom and Dad so TJ could get some more snorkelling practice, and Mom and I snorkelled a bit ourselves. It wasn't very clear, and the snorkelling wasn't very good. Too rough, and too much sand churning in the water. We hoped it would be clear for our trips! We took Mom and Dad to the Green Boley for dinner.
Dontbry, March 6
Today's the day we took the catamaran Passion to the Tobago Cays. What a wonderful, wonderful day! The sail was just beautiful, and the snorkelling was terrific! The water was crystal clear, and we saw a lot! After snorkelling, they took us to Salt Whistle Bay on Mayreau for lunch. On the sail back, I spotted a pod of dolphins, and right after that we saw a pod of pilot whales close to the catamaran! How cool is that? 
We sat on the netting in the front of the catamaran for an exhilarating ride back! Woohoo! We got back to Bequia in time for dinner, and we went to Mac's Pizza ... mostly because everything else was closed.
Sodit, March 7
We went into Port Elizabeth one last time to return TJ's face mask. On a whim, we took a walk up to Fort Hamilton. As is typical of stupid tourists, we hiked up there at the hottest time of day. Up to the top of the mountain we climbed, only to find out that the fort is really just a wall with 4 cannons ... oh, and a gazebo with someone selling t-shirts ... well worth the hot, difficult hike! 
We took my folks to the new Mexican restaurant for dinner. In my opinion, the best part of that dinner was the margarita I had ... okay, the two margaritas I had ... 
Wimpy, March 8
Today we sailed on the Friendship Rose to Mustique. This trip was wonderful! The Friendship Rose is a 2 masted wooden schooner that was built on Bequia, and used to be the ferry and the mail boat. It's now used for day cruises, and captained by one of the men that built her. They greeted us on the ship with juice in stemmed glasses, and then served us crepes, tea and coffee. When we got to Mustique, they let us off for a couple of hours on our own. We met another couple that had been there before, and were headed to Macaroni Beach themselves. My folks always told me what a beautiful beach it was, so we split a taxi with them, and spent an hour swimming. I got sunburned (SPF48 sunscreen only goes so far), but had a great time. We went back to the ship for lunch, which was absolutely delicious! They served fish that they had caught off the ship the day before. After lunch, they took us to a spot for snorkelling. It was the best snorkelling of the whole trip! The water was crystal clear, and I saw things I never saw snorkelling before! It was great snorkelling hand-in-hand with TJ. We sailed home while enjoying rum cake and tea. We got back early, so headed back to our room to shower, and went to Moskito for dinner again. I just can't get enough of that candlelight dinner by the ocean! 
Wibble, March 9
Our last day here, and we took it easy ... just some swimming, and dinner with Mom and Dad. We packed early, so we could head right out tomorrow.
Thing, March 10
9:00am, and Mom and Dad stopped by to say goodbye. We gave them the remaining provisions, and Gideon came with the taxi at 9:30. One last ride on the back of the pickup truck, and we're at the airport. One of the security guards entertained us all by reciting some of her poetry. It's just so different here ... 
We landed at Mustique to pick up more people, but they weren't there yet, so we loittered on the tarmac waiting for the plane from Union to come in. We made it to Barbados with plenty of time to spare, and were able to wander the shops and have lunch. TJ found a beautiful pair of sapphire earrings, and bought them for me. I just love that man! We kept hearing announcements about our flight being late ... and then not ... and then it was late again ... but maybe not ... finally, we boarded just 45 minutes late. It was a very turbulent flight. So turbulent in fact, that the pilot made an announcement that the high winds caused us to use too much fuel, so we had to stop in Orlando to refuel. But not to worry, it'll only take 15 minutes ... Not! We were on the ground for 2 hours. By the time we landed in Philly, it was the time we were supposed to be landing on Long Island! Half the people on the flight missed connecting flights, but the airline was kind enough to put us up at a hotel, rebook our flights, give us a whopping $5 each breakfast voucher, and send us on our ways. Of course, we were all put up at the same hotel, which only had one van that held 9 people. TJ and I gave up on waiting outside in the frigid air with no coats for the van, and took a cab. Of course, there were the 9 people from the van ahead of us on line to check in ... oh, and the busload of highschool girls checking in ... oh, and the card machine wasn't working, so there were no room keys, so the security guard had to let each person into their room. We finally got to our room at 2:00am for a couple of hours sleep.
Poets, March 11
Our flight was leaving at 8:00am, so we headed back to the airport ... where nobody would accept our $10 breakfast voucher. 
We made it home by 10:30am, where we finally dropped from exhaustion. I was glad I didn't have to w**k that day, although TJ did.
All in all, it was the best vacation I've ever had! It was also nice to know that TJ and I spent nearly every waking (and all of the non-waking) moment together, and still wanted to spend more time with each other! We did a *lot* of walking on mountainous terrain, but it's inspired us to start exercising. Which we did today ... that's one day ... let's see if we can keep it up. I'm still feeling the effects of switching my schedule around again (back to night shift), but am still all mellowed out. When we get photos back, I'll post a link.
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Latest reply: Mar 15, 2005
Shea? Shea Who?
Posted Feb 15, 2005
It's been so long since I've been on hootoo, and so much has been happening! I suppose I should bring everybody up to date on my life. Feel free to just pretend to read this unless you have lots of time ... I have a feeling it might be rather long ...
First of all, TJ and I had the amazing and surprising news of finding out we were pregnant in November. Sadly, we lost our angel in December. It was absolutely devastating, all the more so since I felt it could have been our one and only chance to have a child.
TJ never wanted to have kids, and since I was 41 when we got married, I went along with it, as my doctor had said it would be very difficult to get pregnant even if we tried. Shows what she knows. My body certainly had other ideas. The only good thing to come out of all of this is the fact that TJ is now very open to being a Dad. He said that he realized that I wanted a baby much more than he didn't want one ... if that makes sense. So, we're trying again. We know that at my age, we've only got a 50/50 chance of carrying to term, but we're hoping that we got the bad 50 out of the way. I think we should give up actively trying by the time I hit 45, but it should be a fun year in the meantime. 
We took a trip to Ohio just after Christmas. It was a lovely visit, and we luckily missed the big storm they got the week before. TJ got to enjoy the snow on the ground, but we didn't have to drive through it.
I got sidelined by the flu in the middle of January, which was great fun. The next week was when w**k got so crazy that I've barely had time to breathe. We had a huge series on Iraq, and it was just w**k and sleep for a couple of weeks. When we finally finished the Iraq series, Fashion Week started!
One light spot in the middle of all of that w**k was Newsday's Employee Recognition Week. I figured it would be nice to have a free nosh if I could leave the project for long enough. I was told that attendance was mandatory. How odd is that? You MUST come to this party and have a good time! 
Well, it turns out that my boss just wanted to get me there, because I won an award! Not that the award was such a huge deal (I've found that a certificate is pretty much only worth the paper it's printed on), but the $500 that came with it was wonderful! We had all sorts of plans on what to do with the money, and I had earned 3 comp days with all of that overtime. It turns out we didn't have a choice on what to do with the money or the comp time. TJ's uncle passed away, and we had to make another trip to Ohio. He was a special man ... "the" uncle for TJ and his sibs ... and we used all the prize money to pay for the trip. We hated to use it for something like that, but we were very glad that we had it just at that time, and didn't have to dip into savings for the trip (we gotta get the down payment for our future house eventually!)
A week after we got back from Ohio, TJ had to leave for Virginia for a business trip. He's still there. Happy Valentine's Day. We made sure we celebrated early. TJ made super-secret reservations for a dinner dance last weekend with a live band that did a great Sinatra. He still didn't tell me what my surprise was right up to the door of the place. The night was wonderful! Not only was the dancing divine, but it's nice to go to a place where you feel like the young ones! TJ sent me 
on Poets, and I've been getting silly cards in the mail every day. He mailed them from every state on the drive down to Virginia. He let me in on my Valentine's Day secret this morning, and told me where he stashed the 
for me. 
He'll be back next Sodit, and I'm taking my last comp day then to welcome him home.
In two weeks from today (Sodit), we're taking a long-awaited trip to Bequia! We were able to get free airfare to Barbados, so we only have to pay for the puddle-jumper plane and our accommodations. We haven't had a long really-real vacation since we got married. I'm not counting the numerous trips to Ohio to see family ... but even our honeymoon was only 5 days. We spent a few days at Niagara Falls in September, but this is our first real vacation with just the two of us. I really can't wait! We're hoping to have a Bequia baby!
Okay, I think that just about wraps things up. I had a free day here at w**k, so I was able to hop on here quick to let you all know what's up. I hope I'll get a chance to pop in more often.
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Latest reply: Feb 15, 2005
Niagara Falls
Posted Sep 10, 2004
I can't begin to describe how awesome this trip was. Although I'm sure I'll ramble on for quite some time.
On the day before Labor Day, we left a little late (oh, what a surprise). We were planning on visiting with friends of TJ's in Buffalo, but we didn't get to Buffalo until around 11pm. Needless to say, it was too late to drop in on a couple with a 2 year old child. TJ hadn't made plans on where to stay in Buffalo, hoping to mooch off his buddy, so we didn't have reservations. We drove around quite a while, not finding anything available in the Niagara area, and finally found a place with a vacancy in Buffalo around midnight. We knew that any place with the word "Micro" in the name probably wasn't going to be great, but we had no choice. A word of warning: Microtel advertises itself as being reasonable, but not on a holiday! They charged us $80 for a small slab of concrete in a cubbyhole with a moldy shower curtain and questionable odor. It was an awful night. TJ felt so guilty. I was feeling terrible after 8 hours in the truck with my wrist aching, and then we couldn't sleep.
We got up the next day and drove to Niagara, hungry for some breakfast. We couldn't find anything. I get rather crabby when my blood sugar drops, so TJ was desperate to find somewhere. Luckily, we stumbled on a Bob Evans. After a very hearty breakfast, things were looking much better.
We spent Labor Day on the American side of Niagara Falls. We walked along the edge, and I even ventured out onto the observation deck! 
Then we went below for our ride on Maid of the Mist.
Niagara Falls were just awesome. It's a word we use a lot, but experiencing them was truly awe inspiring. The tremendous force and beauty of nature, in all it's raging magnificence was just phenomenal. I shouted, laughed, jumped up and down, hugged, and gazed silent at the spectacle. After our trip on the Maid of the Mist, I had to weep, I was so overwelmed by emotions. It was a full-out mind-blowing orgasm of sensory overload.
After that, we drove to the Canadian side, where our hotel was. The Holiday Inn offered a wonderful two-day package that included breakfasts and dinner at their restaurant one night, and dinner atop the Skylon Tower another night. We got to the hotel at the same time as a busload of seniors from somewhere down South (howdy!), and were a little reluctant to be sharing the hotel with them. Luckily, they were on floor 2, and we were on floor 6. I was hesitant to see the accommodations after the night before, but the room looked okay. A king-sized bed in a tastefully decorated room, a balcony overlooking the city, and when TJ opened the double-doors ... a gorgeous marble bathroom ... with a red, heart-shaped jacuzzi tub! It was gloriously tacky! 
After my reaction to the jacuzzi last time, he just had to do it again, and when he heard it was a red heart-shaped one, he couldn't resist! Every time I went to the bathroom, I had to giggle!
That night we had dinner at their restaurant, and a long soak in that tacky tub. Afterwards, I finally admitted how frightened I was to make the trip up to the top of Skylon Tower. I originally thought I could do it, and the idea of having dinner in a revolving dining room overlooking the Falls sounded very romantic. After seeing how high it was, and also seeing that the only way up was with outdoor elevators, I just couldn’t bear the thought. When I told TJ, he was wonderful about it, and didn’t insist. Again, I found myself weeping ... this time with relief. I hadn’t realized how worked up I had gotten myself over the whole thing until the worry of doing it was removed. We decided to have dinner in the penthouse of the Sheraton overlooking the Falls. The elevator was indoors, and it wasn’t quite so high.
We made it an early night (for us), since we were so exhausted from the night before. It's a good thing, because at 7am they started construction outside, and we were right across from the dreaded ice machine. Not much sleeping after that. 
We had an uninspiring buffet breakfast (although it's the first place we've ever stayed that had the right idea about breakfast, and served it until noon!), and headed for the Falls again. It was raining a bit, but not too much, and we found out that you get wet enough at Niagara Falls anyway, no matter what! We went on the tour behind the Falls, which was cool, but not really worth the money they charge. We strolled through the inevitable gift shop, and then along the walkway, looking at the Falls. I could just stand there and stare for hours at the water and mist always changing.
Later we went back to the American side to visit the Cave of the Winds, which isn’t a cave any more, but wooden steps and decks beneath the Bridal Veil Falls, next to the American Falls. Supplied with complimentary sandals and plastic rain poncho, you get to stand beneath the Falls. Again, it was overwhelming. To be blasted with the force of the Falls was like standing in a hurricane. Just awesome! Afterwards, there was a bin where you could drop the sandals as a donation for Shoes for Humanity, which was a wonderful idea. They sanitize the sandals, and send them off to Africa to give to people who don’t have shoes.
We headed back to the Canadian side for another soak, and to change for a late dinner. It was nice, but I still felt guilty about not doing the Skylon Tower. We then strolled on the walkway, and watched the Falls under the changing lights. We stopped next to the Horseshoe Falls and just watched the water and held each other. Of course, after getting back we just had to have another soak since we were aching from all our walking on those hills! The hotel had left a bottle of “rejuvinating foam,” so I poured the whole bottle into the tub. The bathroom became filled with foam! We couldn’t stop laughing! It was everywhere, and growing and growing! It was ridiculous! 
The next day we couldn’t get the uninspiring buffet breakfast because we got there too late, and had their uninspiring non-buffet breakfast. We checked out of the hotel and headed up to Niagara on the Lake for a jet boat ride on the whirlpool. Unfortunately, we got rather lost. Vague roadsigns and a vaguer (is that a word?) map had us all confused. We finally found ourselves close, but in a touristy area. We had 10 minutes to get there, and ended up stuck behind a horse-drawn carriage, next to double-parked trucks with nowhere to go until the horse finished it’s very slow stroll into an open part of the street. I thought it was very funny, but TJ was fuming. We made it at exactly 1pm, when the boat was supposed to launch (no refunds if you’re late), and I ran to the counter while TJ parked the truck. Luckily, they were *just* going to leave, and held it for us. TJ just ran from the truck without bringing anything. So we had no jackets, and no camera. It was chilly, but wonderful, exhilarating fun! No photos, though. 
We stopped in the Duty Free shop, and got lots of . TJ also bought me a pearl necklace and earrings as an early birthday present. He said he would have preferred to make it a surprise, but it’s easier on him to have me pick it out, and I took a load off his mind.
We hit the remnants of Hurricane Frances on our ride home, and had rain the whole way. Most of the highways were closed due to flooding by the time we hit Westchester County, so we had to take the long way home. By the time we made it at 1:30am, I had hit the wall, broken through, and fallen on my face on the other side. TJ just told me to go to bed, and leave everything else to him. I fell asleep at 2am, and didn’t wake up until after 1pm! I guess I needed it!
This was the best vacation I've ever had in my life. It was wonderful to finally get away with just the two of us, and to experience Niagara Falls was just amazing! Okay, maybe I *can* describe how awesome this trip was.
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Latest reply: Sep 10, 2004
Shea Jones?!!!
Posted Aug 31, 2004
Chipper Jones ... the Atlanta Braves player that Mets fans love to jeer (Lar-ry! Lar-ry!) has decided to name his new son after me. I'm so proud.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/20040831-9999-lz1s31galry.html
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Latest reply: Aug 31, 2004
Shea the Sarcastic
Researcher U63974
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