Grenada: Lori and Kelly's Big Adventure

Captain's Log: Day 4, Sunday, August 15, 2010

Sunday in Grenada, no public transportation so pretty much chilled all day. Slept late, walked to visit some peace corps friends up the hill and borrow a transformer and just hung out here.
It rained - HARD but even that was kinda pretty. The electricity here is kinda crazy, it takes forever to charge my computer, I plugged it in at night and by morning it was charged, but drains really fast too.....hope my battery isn't totally fried when I get back home.

Mac's House

Tried firing up the computers I brought from the states, no luck, one has a white screen, one can't find the internet and one we are still trying to charge. : ( but maybe we will get it figured out.

Mac with John and Steph

Papaya tree

Mango tree

Kelly and Avacado

When we went to visit the peace corps friends on the hill.......A FREAKIN HUGE HILL ALMOST VERTICAL! we saw some mango trees, banana trees and papaya trees......kinda cool.

Rain

More rain

My sunburn has calmed down a bit but my hair has gone crazy, more curls than I have ever seen and no taming them.....but that's ok. I'm learning a bit of the lingo......can't use it in context very well.....but one thing they say alot is -just so.

Adventure within the Adventure 2

huge roach!

So we are all just sitting around, reading, sleeping, whatever and all of the sudden Kenzie jumps up screaming like a little girl. We go running in there and the BIGGEST (probably 2 inches long!) cock roach I have ever seen is toting his luggage like he's moving in. Kelly grabs the bug spray and sprays him and he scurries away, unfazed. We watch him and he's simply not dying, our only recourse was to smash him, and really no one wants to do that, but Kelly mustered up the courage and splat.....omgosh, so gross, but he met his maker and we were saved.

So a day of not doing much of anything and it was good.

Life IS good!

Grenada: Lori and Kelly's Big Adventure

Captain's Log: Day 3- Saturday, August 14, 2010

Woke up and the dream lived on......looked out the window, and yep, still in paradise! Today we walked to the bakery and got some muffins and buns for tomorrow. Then we got ready and went to the beach. Not nearly as easy as loading up the car and going.....2 different buses (which really aren't buses, more on that later) and a total of about 45 minutes. Now mind you the island is only 20 miles by 12 miles.....but you cannot go anywhere as the crow flies, no sir, no indeed. But we load our bags, hop the bus and are on our way. Finally arriving down the block from the beach we hike our selves to the beach and it is beautiful. White sands, mountains in the background, crystal clear water, not a zillion tourists........wonderful.

Mackenzie had some peace corps friends there that we got to meet and they were alot of fun. They had some snacks and one of them was something they call Skinups, a grape sized fruit that has a pit inside similar to an avacado. You bite and split the skin and suck the flesh off the pit, similar to a peach. Now, considering I don't like fruit at all, I thought I was very brave to try it. But I couldn't do it, it was just gross in my mouth and I had to spit it out. But I tried, don't I get points for that?

Hung out there all day with a break in the middle for a sandwich at a local bar and grill. We all had a grilled chicken sandwich and they put tomato and cucumber on it.......ick, but picked em off. At the end of the day, we walked to the grocery store and got a few things for some meals this week and then hauled all the stuff to the bus stop and loaded up on a very full bus for the ride to the station to transfer to another bus to get back home. Kelly made very yummy chicken enchiladas for dinner and we ate chocolate from the chocolate factory here on the island. (planning on touring that later in the week). So, tired and burned......but somewhat blissful at this point.

Adventure within the adventure:1
The bus system here in Grenada. First of all the buses aren't really buses, they are like vw vans or the like. and they sit 3 across and you sit 3 across, no matter if you have big saddle bags on your body or bags from the grocery store, it's 3 across. And mind you it's hot and the person sitting next to you is hot and the air is how much is wafting through the open windows as you speed down the road. Actually speeding isn't even the word for it, it's death defying......if you have ever been on the road to Hana in Hawaii, this is crazier...... I do have to hand it to the drivers, lots of honking horns and close calls but no accidents or displays of road rage. Now being one that gets extremely car sick, I did worry a bit about the drive, but never once did i feel sick- not from the break neck speeds or hair pins turns - of which there are MANY. We did have a funny (?) experience when while driving the Grenadian version of the Daytona 500, the hatch came open with Kelly, Mackenzie and I in the very back seat. Although the breeze was nice, it was a little unnerving, but we survived, life was good.

OOOPS correction - Life IS good!

Grenada: Lori and Kelly's Big Adventure

Captain's Log: Day 1 - August 12, 2010
Going to Tulsa to catch a flight to Grenada. Using the most direct route - Tulsa -Chicago - Miami-Grenda. I mean right? through Chicago first? geez,..........anyway.......it will get us there.

Found out there is a summer travel embargo and Grenada is on the list. What this means is that each passenger is only allowed two checked bags. The bags are to be 50 lbs and if can be up to 70 but you have to pay extra. The bags also must be suitcases, no boxes or crates.

We both have a ton of school supplies donated by very generous friends and knew we were going to encounter problems......we weighed the bags......the school supply bags - both over......hoping for the best.......ready to pay.


Captain's Log Day 2: August 13, 2010 (Friday the 13th)
Prepared for a long and grueling day, very nervous about checking these bags.

Arrive at the Tulsa airport, out of no where a guy working for American Airlines (which I love now, btw) shows up at the curb. Finds us a cart and loads all of our bags and takes them inside. No big deal, right? BUT, then he wheels them to the side and starts weighing them for us. By the time we get up to the kiosk to check in, he is standing beside us, taking our passports and we just answer questions. He even punched it all in for us! He talks to the agent and informs them two of the bags are overweight. She talks with the agent next to her and voilå, waives charges.....

We get to security and loooong line, we get to the guy checking tickets and he says, if you would like to step to that far end, you will not have any problems and will be alot quicker. And you know what? he was right, it took longer for me to empty the 3 computers out of my bag then it did to get through.

Checked in and at the gate for an international flight, in less than 30 minutes. WOW.

Flight to Chicago uneventful, then to Miami.

Flight from Miami was a hoot. Evidently there is a big vet school here in Grenada and it starts on Monday, so probably 2/3 of the plane was students. Many of these students have working dogs or cats (therapy pets) so there was probably 20-30 different pets on the plane with us.....some in carriers, some not........there was a cat behind us, and everything ranging from german shepherds to labs, to goldens, to malteses. And you know what never heard a peep out of any of them, more well behaved than the children on the flight. : )

When we arrived in Grenada the students were trying to help us by telling us what to expect at customs. When we found out that they would most likely check our bags and charge us for every piece of electronics, I was very nervous, but they said just take one computer out of the bag and show them. I did and the agent asked what we had and we told her, pencils and school supplies and she never asked another question, just smiled and waved us on. Everyone almost cheered and were amazed there were big smiles all around.

I was worried about the food......we stopped at a little place and there were lots of guys with grills cooking things.......one was a big pot of "waters" which is soup. however the soup contains everything....more like stew.......and be a variety of meats veggies,............WHATEVER. I chose the chicken on the grill with garlic bread.........It was a leg and thigh......but it was very yummy a very mild bbq sauce on top.

We slept with two fans blowing directly on us all night and life was good.

Correction..........Life IS good. : )

GOING TO GRENADA!

I am sooo excited! I leave THIS week for Grenada. My niece is in the Peace Corps (check out her blog, My Life in the Peace Corps) and my sister and I are going to visit. We will spend the first few days with her seeing the projects she is involved with and then go to the resort side of the island for a few days of r&r.

Grenada is an island country and sovereign state consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea. Grenada is located northwest of Trinidad and Tobago, northeast of Venezuela, and southwest of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Grenada is also known as the "Island of Spice" due to the production of nutmeg and mace crops of which Grenada is one of the world's largest exporters.

I am also excited to take with me a suitcase full of school supplies. One of the jobs she is doing there is teaching in a 1st grade classroom. Supplies are limited to say the least so my office, along with others, have gotten together and were so generous in their donations! My sister and I both are dedicated one suitcase to the transportation of the supplies. We were quite surprised to find out that Grenada is one of the destinations affected by the summer embargo and we could not take under any circumstances more than 2 suitcases per person (along with our carryons) and it HAD to be suitcases, not boxes or crates or anything else and each was NOT to exceed 50 lbs each. We couldn't even pay extra to take something. So we had to get really creative. I even came up with 3 used laptops!

I'm not gonna lie, I am a little concerned with the food situation but have packed some granola bars and cup of soup. They eat alot of fruit and fish (the two f words I really don't like) but there are plenty of vegetables so it'll be fine......... I hope.

The heat and humidity are going to be a challenge as well. I am used to heat here in Kansas but I am also very accustomed to being able to into the air conditioning. And you walk ALOT, so hopefully I have good comfortable shoes and am prepared to sweat. I'm sure I will return home with a greater appreciation of the creature comforts I take for granted.

Hey Man, it's Podstock time again.......

What is Podstock 2010?

It’s a conference. It’s a conversation. It’s family.

It's for educators who want to share technology integration strategies, explore social media tools and strengthen established learning networks. We're going into our second year and growing fast.

But we don’t want Podstock to be just about the latest gadget or the coolest software. We want it to be about creativity, about inspiration, about what’s good for kids. Our formal and informal conversations, both face to face and virtually, will help change how we do school.

I have been working on the materials for the conference. Last year I had such a blast and got so many compliments, I knew to even come close to that success was going to be a challenge. I have been thinking on the concept for this year, well, as soon as last year wrapped up. The theme of Podstock came last year, since it was the anniversary of woodstock, we kind of modeled after that. And with the boom of podcasting and technology, Podstock seemed a natural fit for the name. 


Last year was classic Podstock, 60's themed, alot of Peace signs, hippie motif, and of course the VW Hippie van. Our conference folder was crafted to look like an old time album.....(kids ask your parents - think of a vinyl CD).....ahhh, hint of nostalgia.........but anyway...the cover was printed to look well worn, because seriously, what record album in this day and age doesn't look worn? Pull out that old Janis Joplin or Jimi Hendrix album and check it out yourself. The "album" opened up and on the inside was the listing of the presentations and inside the "sleeve" had the lyrics or presenter bios. The record itself had a listing of web 2.0 resources. All very fun.

This year I decided to go more of an electric guitar, 70's feel. So the folder will be a guitar case, - ala, classic Fender case. It has velcro fasteners for the latches and inside a guitar with the 2.0 resources printed on the back. Inside the "satin" lined case pocket is the "song book" with the presentation description listed.
Although it doesn't quite trip my trigger as much as last year's, I am still very excited about the whole thing.

I am very excited for this year's event, which will be held at the Hotel at Old Town in Wichita, KS. Always a good time, including our vendor showcase reception with lots of cold beverages and snacks and a Second Life Dance Party. We've had many conferences throughout the years and we always have a blast at these things. The presentation line up is going to be great as always. For a full schedule and further information go to the Podstock website. So, don't be a drag man, join us for a groovy time, July 16 & 17, 2010.

Embrace Life

Seat belts. Still people do not get the importance. Last week a very dear friend of my niece's was in a car wreck. No extinuating circumstances, no drugs, no alcohol, seasoned driver but a wet road a chain of events proved to be a dire combination. Four college age girls one minute out for an innocent drive, the next two girls ejected and one with so many broken bones and injuries she needed cpr from her friend to keep her life. Upon hearing this my college age son, who is about to embark on medical school to be a physical therapist rattled off the amount of recuperation time and therapy those injuries would require. This particular girl we were discussing had just graduated college and was about to start Pharmacy school and now will spend the next year learning to do the things she probably took for granted the day before.

Now you would think this would be a good lesson to the importance of seat belts and how in just the blink of an eye your whole world could change. I took that opportunity to reinforce my feelings and how fortunate this girls parents are that she is still alive. I felt good that at least this horrible tragedy was at least providing me with a teachable moment, that is until the following week when that very same son came home carrying a crumpled license plate. He then began to explain the crew he was working with was coming home on the highway pulling a trailer full of equipment when the tire blew. The steering locked up and the truck trailer proceeded across a lane of traffic and into the ditch where it hit two signs before stopping. Now, there were several variables that could have made this another tragic scenario, such as neither the truck nor trailer rolled, there was no opposing traffic and the signs glanced off the truck and went over it instead of through it. Instead the driver and all passengers were safe. After hearing of his harrowing ordeal, I said, "so you did have on your seat belt, right?" and to my dismay and chagrine, the reply, "no, I was in the backseat."

We can preach and teach but ultimately those we love have to come to their own conclusion that seat belts are important and save lives. Please pass this video on to those you love and maybe, just maybe it will make a difference and slowly we can saves lives, one seat belt at a time.

Buckle up. Embrace Life.

Murphy's Law

"Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong". - Murphy's Law

I have a dog. I have a dog I got for free. I have a dog I got for free because obviously the people knew she was retarded.

We named this dog, Murphy, and little did we know just how appropriate that name would be. Over the years she has numerous trips to the vet (not for free, mind you) to stitch, sedate, medicate, clean up, monitor and just general maintenance. She is the absolute sweetest dog, I sometimes wonder if she thinks she is a lap dog, which would be ok if you had enough lap to accommodate a 68 pound greyhound. Murphy does not get to leave the backyard without a leash because she cannot be trusted........she does not look both ways before crossing the street and she thinks she can run up to people full force and leap into their loving arms.......which is not really what a small child or an elderly person want.

Last week, Murphy and her compadre, Austi, made a break through a gate that was not fully latched and went on a big adventure. Although they were wrangled and put back in the corral within an hour, Murphy managed to find a way to injure herself. We don't know how but received a pretty major laceration to her upper rear hip. Well, seeing it was not going to heal itself, Murphy went to see the best vets in the world.......Apple Lane Animal Hospital.

She got to spend the night and I am sure she is just silly enough to think it was some sort of camp out and she made lots of new friends. I picked her up this morning to see her shaved and stitched. She did not have on the cone of shame when I picked her up, because she had ripped it off her head and eaten it sometime this morning. So they sent another one with a pat on the back for good luck.

So, now I have not only a beloved, mentally special needs dog but one that is spatially challenged and running into everything she encounters.......I just have to sigh and think, ya gotta love her.

Best Job In The World- Sorry, it's taken

So, I know I've mentioned that I think I have the best job in the world, but I'm going to say it again, I love my job. I work with some really awesome people that are doing some really awesome things in the world of education. I usually get to be involved on some level or another, and most often it means helping out on the creative end.......whether it be with a graphic or photograph or just picking my brain for some out-of-the-box thinking. For the last few months we have collaboratively been working on a collection of podcasts and resources targeted to teachers, parents and grandparents. My job has been to go take still photos of the process to be used for the websites, blogs and various projects. I have had such fun doing it and the last one I did was for Bentley Richert and his podcast "Labz for Kidz." You should definitely check out the site, My Kids Turn, it has some awesome ideas that will assist you as an adult to give a little added help to the kiddos as they learn. To date there are over 70 videos on the site. Some of the categories are Math, Science, Language Arts, Early Education, Art, Gaming......... and more are being added all the time.

And of course I have to have a picture of an animal of some sort.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk - Graduate KU!

Well, this weekend was another milestone in the life of my family. My first born, my sweet little cherub graduated from college. Technically he still has his internship to finish up but classes and grades are finished. I watched with pride as he put on his cap and gown and walked down the hill and through the campanile which at University of Kansas is a tradition. He got this checked off his list but his scholastic journey doesn't end here.....after the internship - 3 more years of med school then we'll do this graduation thing again for Aaron Fast, Doctor of Physical Therapy. It just dawned on me that theoretically both my sons could graduate the same year, same time, same school next time.......Aaron and Brett with his degree in architecture. Wow, wouldn't that be something. I'd be a bawling mess, to be sure. But today I'm just beaming, ear to ear and dealing tear to tear as I recall the sometimes rocky road we've traveled to this point so far. You know when they are just babies and you are so proud when they do all those things.......learning to walk, to talk, to ride a bike........those are proud moments and then they move on to elementary and high school and they win an award, make top grades or just do something as a nice human being.......and you think to yourself, I just couldn't be any more proud of them and then they achieve some other accomplishment such as this and somehow, someway, they manage to squeeze just a little more pride out of you. Aaron Gregory Fast - your momma loves you and is proud of you.

The Campanile myth.

The myth around campus is that if you walk through the Campanile before graduation, you won’t graduate at all. This only applies to walking in one door and out the other, so if you want to see the inside but you aren’t interested in risking your degree, walking out the door you came in is a safe bet. If you follow this advice, it naturally leads to the next item on the list.

You don’t graduate at KU. You “walk down the Hill.”

At KU, we don’t call it “graduating.” It’s called “walking down the Hill” and it’s definitely unique to KU. All graduates from all schools line up at the top of the hill and process through the Campanile into Memorial Stadium.

Cinco de Mayo- Chicken Enchiladas and Guacomole - Olé

Cinco de Mayo can be celebrated in more ways than beer this year. Recipes, tradition and Cinco de Mayo's history are all aspects that can make May 5 different and not a holiday that is a common misconception. Cinco de Mayo is not an American or Mexican independence day. Viva Cinco de Mayo online explains Mexico's real independence day is September 15, 1810 when they declared their independence from Spain at midnight. May 5 is still a historical day that does involve Mexican heritage. Cinco de Mayo, 1862 was the day 4,000 Mexican soldiers fought French and a traitor Mexican army outside of Mexico city. The French were apparently coming to a collect a debt then were supposed to leave.

French Emperor Napoleon III planned on staying in Mexico however. The brought a Hapsburg prince with their fleet to rule in Mexico. This was during the American civil war, meaning Mexico was on its own.

The French Army eventually lost because of overconfidence. They chased Colonel Diaz and his cavalry but were stuck in muddy terrain, storms and stampeding cattle. America later became involved by helping with men, materials and weapons to fight off the French together.


Source: Viva Cinco De Mayo
 

Guacomole

Ingredients

• 1/2 white onion, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeno (seeded for less heat, if desired), finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 ripe avocados, diced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the onion, jalapeño, cilantro, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using the back of a fork, mash the vegetables until they begin to release their juices.
2. Add the avocados and lime juice and stir to combine.
   
   
   
   

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 pound tomatillos (papery skins removed), chopped
• 1 onion (preferably white), chopped
• 1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 2- to 2 1/2-pound rotisserie chicken, meat shredded
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 1/4 cups grated Monterey Jack (5 ounces)
• 8 6-inch corn tortillas
• Pico de Gallo or salsa

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tomatillos, onion, poblano, garlic, cumin, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a food processor, add the cream, and puree.
2. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, tomatoes, 1 cup of the cheese, ½ cup of the tomatillo sauce, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
3. Warm the tortillas according to the package directions. Spread 1 cup of the remaining sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Roll the chicken mixture in the tortillas and place them in the dish, seam-side down.
4. Top with the remaining sauce and cheese. Bake until beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with Pico de Gallo

Weird And Wonderful Hangover Cures

Different hangover cures can be found in different countries and here are some of the strange and curious ways to cure hangovers in different parts of the world.

The following are strictly to be taken tongue-in-cheek and you are solely responsible for the outcome of the following methods of hangover cures.

1. Australia
   A big T-bone steak. If that fails then a chocolate milk shake.
2. France
   Drink thick, hot onion soup the next morning.
3. Germany
   Downing a sour herring with a beer chaser.
4. Haiti
   Stick 13 black-headed pins in the cork of the bottle that gave you the hangover.
5. Norway
   A heavy glass of cream
6. Outer Mongolia
   Eat a pickled sheep's eye in a glass of tomato juice.
7. Puerto Rico
   Rub a lemon under your drinking arm.
8. Russia
   Heavily salted cucumber juice or black bread soaked in water.
9. Switzerland
   A sip of brandy with a dash of peppermint.
10. And my personal favorite..........don't drink too much in the first place.

I abso-stinkin-lutely LOVE my job

I know I have mentioned it before but I will say it again.......I LOVE MY JOB! Graphic manipulation is fun but taking pictures of something as fun as baby ducks -words cannot describe that. Now you might be wondering why on earth I would need to take pictures of ducklings ...........and even if you are not......(in her best Italian accent says) I'ma gonna tell you.....

A bazillion years ago (approximately) someone made the mistake of calling ESSDACK (the place I work) ESSDUCK, and since then our little mascot has been the rubber ducky. Now I happen to be in the farm store a week ago (no, I do not live on a farm, or near a farm) and they had gotten some of the cutest little baby ducks in, they had chickens too, but they are gross. I happen to know a big wig there and asked if I could rent the ducks for an afternoon. He told that wouldn't be necessary and I could borrow them. So this morning I made the trek back to the farm store to borrow some ducks. I brought them back and of course most people oooo'd and ahhhhh'd because let's face it baby anythings are cute -except chickens, like I said, they are gross.

I took pictures of the ducks by themselves, in groups, sitting, standing, running toward me at break neck speed, with Starbuck the cyber-safety pup, with Kevin Honeycutt and his ipad. (He made a video). We had a fun time with the little critters.

I learned that although cute as can be, baby ducks poop alot and then they stink.....because their food is probably made of ground up bugs so duh? why wouldn't their poop stink? Anyway, I digress.....had a great time of taking pics of the babies. So now I have roughly 250 pics of baby ducks that I can use for something, sometime, in some way...  Just gotta figure that out.