Death and the Maiden – Day 3 London 2020

Jan 24 – Death and the Maiden

Marx through trees I get up early. Can’t help it. No matter when I go to bed, I still wake up early. Even if I go back to sleep, waking up early is a bane of my existence. In this case, it was fine, in that I was able to chat with Rasa and Monki before Lin woke up. But when that was over, it also meant I was up for a while until Lin woke up. So I watched some TV and read a bit. It wasn’t an issue, since we had planned for this, having booked the afternoon tour at the Highgate Cemetery. Continue reading “Death and the Maiden – Day 3 London 2020” →

Night of the Iguana – Day 2 London 2020

Jan 23 – Night of the (Los) Iguana

Of all the days I was going to be in London, this was the only one Lin was actually working. In a practical sense, what this meant was that she was up and out of the house early, leaving me to fend for myself. So since I was on vacation, I lounged around for a bit, made myself some breakfast, and called Rasa and Monki. All of which took me to about 9:30am. When I relax I really relax, huh? Continue reading “Night of the Iguana – Day 2 London 2020” →

Come From Away – Day 1 London 2020

Jan 22 – Come From Away

Photo Jan 22, 3 45 20 PM.jpg A few months back, I was lamenting the lack of theatre in my life. Having grown up in the theatre (I joined The Rainbow Company, a professional children’s theatre group at the age of 9 and was with Las Vegas Little Theatre for a number of years) this was something I missed. Interesting that when I lived in Vegas, I certainly didn’t see all the local theatre open to me, but at the same time, I knew it was always there, so it was okay. Continue reading “Come From Away – Day 1 London 2020” →

Dino Park

J riding a dino.jpeg Rasa’s mom’s birthday is August 4th. We decided that going up to Mažeikiai would be a nice weekend trip. Of course, since we were already going to be heading that way, we may as well go a little early and take Monki out for something fun. The beach was again considered, but the weather was being a bit prickly so instead, we opted for the Dinosaur Park, the signs for which we pass every time we head towards Klaipėda. Continue reading “Dino Park” →

A Day at the Beach – July 20, 2019

Having a car has meant that we have many more options available to us. For instance, when we were going to bed on Friday night, Rasa turns to me and says “let’s go to the beach tomorrow. We can get up early, load up the car, and head out to the coast.” Well okay then! Let’s do this thing!

And we did. Got up early (well, no earlier than we usually do), loaded up the car, made a stop for snacks and gas and away we went. Continue reading “A Day at the Beach – July 20, 2019” →

When the Party’s Over (Disneyland Paris 2019-Day 5)

July 6

We got up later than expected, and even let the baby sleep longer in order to get everything packed. We didn’t buy that much stuff so it wasn’t a difficult process (and besides, Rasa is a wiz when it comes to packing). Finally, we had to wake up Monki and headed out to have our last breakfast. I sent the girls ahead while I put the bags into the left luggage – this way we could go to the park and not have to worry about our stuff. Even though there wasn’t a lot of people in line, for some reason they figured they could get the line to go faster if they had two people taking bags, so I handed my stuff off, got a claim check for each article I left, including the suitcase, Rasa and Monki’s backpacks, and our coats. Four in total. Continue reading “When the Party’s Over (Disneyland Paris 2019-Day 5)” →

Parades and Too Much Sun (Disneyland Paris 2019-Day 4)

July 5

Friday morning and we were back to our usual breakfast at the hotel. This time, Goofy was in our lobby instead of Pluto, but Monki skipped pictures with him because she was, as Peppa would say, “quite hungry.” Yup, complete with British accent and everything. Continue reading “Parades and Too Much Sun (Disneyland Paris 2019-Day 4)” →

Characters and Princesses (Disneyland Paris 2019-Day 3)

July 4

We had pre-booked a character breakfast buffet when we first booked the tickets, figuring our second full day would be the best time. And now it was here. Of course, it was an 8:15am reservation, which meant getting up at 7. When your kid isn’t a morning person, though, this is easier said than done. But we did it. It took some cajoling, some threats, a bit of mom and dad frustrations, but in the end, we got there and were shown to our seats. Continue reading “Characters and Princesses (Disneyland Paris 2019-Day 3)” →

King of Complaints (Disneyland Paris 2019-Day 2)

July 3

Despite our late night, we were up early-ish and headed to the main hotel lobby for the included buffet breakfast. Our meal plan included 4 breakfasts and 4 lunch/dinners per adult and the breakfast buffet at the Santa Fe Hotel seemed just as good as anything else.

On the way there, we pass Pluto in the lobby doing a photo op (again, advantages of being in an onsite property) so we do that first, hoping to take full advantage of the Photopass program. I like the program, since it gives you access to all the digital photos the Disney photographers take (including those on the ride shots) and since photos was one of our primary foci here, it seemed like a good deal. It’s not for everyone, but it works for us. Continue reading “King of Complaints (Disneyland Paris 2019-Day 2)” →

It Starts (Disneyland Paris 2019-Day 1)

July 2

When deciding on our summer vacation, there are a lot of options to weigh. Granted,we’re only a small family of three, but you want to make sure there’s something for everyone. Last year, we went to London and learned some lessons about what to do and what not to do with a 2-year-old. We made changes on the fly.

This year, though, we decided again on Disneyland Paris. Continue reading “It Starts (Disneyland Paris 2019-Day 1)” →

On Preparedness

So I just got back from a wonderful trip to Disneyland Paris (which you can read all about here) but as I was unpacking I realized something. See that book over to the left? Golden Blood by Jack Williamson? I’ve never read it. And yet, it’s travelled with me all over the globe.

See, whenever I travel, in addition to all my electronics, I always bring a good, old fashioned paperback book, just in case. In case of what? I don’t know. In case with all my battery operated equipment I somehow have a power failure and find myself stranded alone with nothing to do? Maybe? Continue reading “On Preparedness” →

Bubby and Pa Come to Visit 4/23-5/14, 2019

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA So, for the last few weeks, starting on Rasa and my anniversary (April 23) through to the morning of May 14th, my folks have been visiting us. I previously wrote a bit about the first few days but I wanted to catch up and speak a bit about the whole trip.

Unfortunately, when people are visiting, it throws your whole schedule out of whack and I wasn’t able to get as much writing done as I would have liked. Thankfully, though, mom did. So I’m going to do something I’ve never done before on here – co-author a piece. Using mom’s facebook posts as a starting point (you’ll see her notes in red), I will comment, add, reflect, and ponder my own thoughts and feelings on the three weeks.

Enjoy! Continue reading “Bubby and Pa Come to Visit 4/23-5/14, 2019” →

Adventure Time

Not sure I’d ever get the chance, or if I’d want to if I did, but some of these really look like fun.

Others… not so much.

Coffee and Rain, Postcards and Plays

March 12 &13, 2019

Tuesday was my last full day and I had only made one plan for the afternoon to meet a friend and Lin had tickets for me to see a show that night, so I figured this was a day on my own. I was up and out of the house before Lin knew I was gone.

I had arranged to meet my friend Ian near the South Kensington station so I headed that way. I found a place just outside the station called Muriel’s and treated myself to a “Little English” breakfast while I wrote out a few postcards and watched the rain fall outside. This is what my vacation was all about. I wasn’t rushing around to see stuff and take in all the sights and wonders of a new place, instead I was just relaxing, watching the world go by. It was wonderful. Continue reading “Coffee and Rain, Postcards and Plays” →

Spirits and Giant Squids,Geeks and Shipwrecks

March 11, 2019

Monday morning started off too early for Lin. Naturally, the hazards of living with a small child and having to get up early on a daily basis means no matter what time I go to bed, I get up at what, for some people, is an unreasonable hour. But being the trooper (trouper?) she is, she was up before 9am and ran out to the local bakery to get some fresh bread then fixed us both some eggs (Gordon Ramsey recipe and it was skanu!) and toast for breakfast. Continue reading “Spirits and Giant Squids,Geeks and Shipwrecks” →