Spirit Incentives Breaks My Spirit

Be Prepared-this is long. But it is not a rant.

DH and I went on a time share tour last spring. We didn’t buy a time share, but “won” two certificates for free travel. I was really excited-one certificate was for travel to a choice of hotels in exotic places. The certificates are good for one year. The one that caught my eye was “Royal Lahaina Hotel, Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii.” I read the directions, even the fine print. I sent in the certificate with chosen dates for possible travel.

About 2 months later I got a letter that said “Your first chosen travel date is unavailable, should we continue with your 2nd chosen date?” I returned the card “Yes”. About 2 months later I get the same card. I chose 2 more dates. Second letter comes back the same-“should we proceed with your next date?” I return the “yes” reply.

Then in November I get a letter that says I need to pay $140 in taxes. I’m excited. I call up the Customer Service line (NOT a toll-free number). “Are you processing my Jan. 9 travel date?” I ask. They reply, “Yes, your next date is Jan. 9 and when we have your taxes we will have a reservation agent call you to finalize reservations.” I’m starting to research airfares to Maui; I look on my calendar and think about what I’ll have to rearrange to make this trip.

Then I call the customer service no. back a week later to see if they received my $$. They had, and they gave me the toll-free “reservations” number. I call and they have my info and they “start looking at availability” and I’m on hold for many minutes. Finally they come back and say they have “No availability for that date.” What?? I got the taxes letter! I called and they said they were preparing to confirm that date. “Well, if you had sent in the $$ for the taxes earlier, you would have gotten your date.” HUH? How could I have sent the $$ in earlier if I just got the letter 2 weeks ago? “Do you want me to check availability for your next date?” Yes, please. I’m on hold for many more minutes. “No availability for that date either.” What??? How can that be?

After several calls to the reservations number and the customer service number and much arguing, it turns out that there is NO availability for Maui for ANY possible travel date from January to April. “We only get limited no. of rooms.” None. And none of the other places listed for travel had any availability either, except for perhaps Jamaica.

There is NOTHING in the information packet that says taxes must be paid BEFORE a reservation can be processed, although it does say that taxes are the responsibility of the traveler. But taxes apparently have to be paid before a reservation is processed. When I point that out about the lack of info in the packet, they have no answer, but no apology and no way to give me what I want. They won’t extend the length of my certificate, even though I didn’t get a letter about taxes until 7 months after I sent in the first reservation request.

I cancelled my certificate and requested a refund. Haven’t seen it yet.
If you Google “Spirit Incentives” you will be directed to websites where people have a lot of bad things to say about this company. Their company website doesn’t have any content, except info as to how companies can buy their travel packages as incentives.

When the time share company called us, we told them that their incentive plan was a rip-off and reflected badly on the time share company for having it.

DH told me this was a rip-off and I thought I could follow the rules and get the benefit. But it didn’t work like that.

Oh well, older and wiser. Be warned.

What I'm Reading-Fall

Ok-it’s been several months since a book update. The Last Tuesday Book Club has read The Devil Wears Prada, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,and Memoirs of a Geisha, all great books, each in its own way. It helped that the movies have come out and we could also discuss similarities and differences.
We also read Places Left Unfinished at the Time of Creation, a lyrical memoir by John Philip Santos. This book was chosen by our city to read collectively over the summer and I really enjoyed it.

Upcoming for the LTBC is The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly (murder mystery), and The Alchemist by Paul Coelho. Our group is certainly eclectic!

In addition, I just finished The Other Rebecca by Maureen Freely, an updated retelling of Rebecca, with a few extra twists. A couple of plane trips were eased by reading March by Gwendolyn Brooks, an imagination of what Mr. March was doing during the Civil War while his family had their story told in Little Women. I raced through The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan-a young adult book that has Greek gods and goddesses hovering over America and causing trouble. I’d read the sequel: it has a well-drawn modern protagonist with plenty of problems.

I enjoyed Blood From a Stone by Donna Leon. I’ve really enjoyed the Detective Brunelli series set in Venice. I know I’ve missed a few books in the series, because they only became available in the U.S. a couple of years ago and our stores don’t stock all of them. And, also set in Venice, I read City of Falling Angels by John Berendt (writer of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil). This is non-fiction, about the fire at the Fenice Opera House and all sorts of the interesting Venetians and expats that make up Venetian society.

I think that about covers it for now! Happy reading!

The Kittens

DS brought home 2 kittens. A female named "Cake" and a male named "Damnit".They are brown and gray striped. They are kinda cute, even if they knock over the trash and eat anything they find. They will chase paper balls and bring them back for more.

They just cost me $530.

Of course they needed spaying and neutering. They needed pre-op blood tests. They needed rabies shots and distemper shots. Cake had worms and ear mites, so she got meds for that. They have post-op meds. They needed city licenses.

They've rebounded from the surgery pretty well, except they keep trying to jump up on the counters and they can't quite make it...

Are they worth it? The jury's still out.

Houseboat Adventure Report

I survived the houseboat adventure! Most of my fears did not materialize: I didn't get bored or tired of the people, didn't see one rat (although we made sure they couldn't get on board via anchor ropes), was happy to see the CO testers in every room. No one tried to get in touch with me and couldn't, although when we passed places where there was cell service, I did try to call out and leave messages. I could have used one more book, and did some knitting but not all that much. I could have exercised more and did overindulge in food and drink when presented the opportunity... It was really fun and the people were great. I loved being on the boat and seeing this amazing part of the country. It's like traveling in an RV, but you get to be on the water and there's no trailer park at the end of the day, just a sandy beach to call your own.
Above is my photo of Rainbow Bridge. We took a boat into a side canyon and then hiked back to the bridge formation. It was early in the morning and we had the place to ourselves. It was quite beautiful. We also saw Anasazi ruins and cliff paintings, famous historical sites, and lots of rock formations.
I would definitely do this trip again!

Houseboat Adventure Preparations

The bags are about packed. How to fit everything in in reasonable room? And not have any liquids or gels in the carry-ons? (There goes the Visine, moisturizer, lipgloss, Purell, mouthwash, toothpaste, facial moisturizer and perfume usually in my carry-on.) DH has a rolling duffel-not too large. He is carrying a fishing pole tube. I have a 24" suitcase. That's ok. Then we have the carry-on stuff. Pack of tortillas. 2 lbs of coffee. Small binocs. book. knitting. magazine. carry-on meds. camera. headphones and cds/dvds.camera equipment, phone chargers, notebook computer.(not a small one), plugs for that. I may do a small rollaboard and the computer bag....
Here is what I'm worried about on the boat:
1. I'll get bored.
2. I'll get tired of the people.
3. I won't get enough exercise.
4. I will eat and drink too much (that could be 2, but this is a long list)
5. I will need to get in touch with the outside world and won't be able to.
6. Someone from the outside world will need to get in touch with me and won't be able to.
7. Carbon Monoxide poisoning. (People have died on houseboats because of this.)
8. Sunburn
9. Two fat books won't be enough.
10.Rats climbing up the anchor ropes.
11.I will not be able to quit worrying about home.

I hope it will be fun.

Houseboat Adventure

We're getting ready to take a houseboat trip on Lake Powell. We launch from Page, AZ and motor north. I'm a little nervous about being on a houseboat for 7 days. With 2 other couples. All the things I won't be able to do: morning walks, checking email,checking in with my exercise coach. We have to bring everything with us, because they don't plan on stopping at any marinas along the way. No cell service after the first hour. At least it's an easy trip in the way of clothes: all casual and swimwear. We bought water shoes that can also take easy hikes. DH is loading up with fishing gear, I'm loading up with books, knitting, journals. I'm bringing the yoga videos and Farkel dice. And the telescoping marshmallow forks. The scenery should be beautiful in a Grand Canyon/Red Rocks way, and they've promised me Rainbow Bridge. I know DH relaxes extremely well, but I don't know about the rest of us....Will update after the trip!

It's all on the internet....

I've been planning a trip to Las Vegas for the last week. All on the internet. Sure, we've been able to book airline tickets online for several years, and hotels, too. But I'm amazed every day at how much in online. I've already printed out the tickets to the new Cirque de Soleil show. Unheard of not too long ago....

Thanks to my brother's girlfriend, I found a travel website www.groople.com that has deals for groups. And they replied promptly to my email questions and were easy to reach on the phone. I booked 5 hotel rooms for our family reunion at a good hotel for a great price, with different arrival dates, all very easily.

Other interesting things I've found online:
Need telescoping marshamallow roasting forks? Type that into Google and you can get www.rollaroaster.com, the perfect gift for the outdoor enthusiast.

Membership to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum (www.tenement.org) saved me $$ and got me a personal reservation agent when I needed to book a tour for 8 people.

Of course, maps and directions are easy to find online, but with my AAA membership I downloaded a triptik for a road trip to Dallas.

I've ordered bon voyage gifts for friends taking cruises that were in their staterooms on departure.

I remember when companies first started putting their website addresses in their TV, radio and print ads. That seemed weird. Who would actually go to a website for more advertising?
Now, the TV, radio, newspapers all have reduced content in their media, and you have to "go to our website for more on this subject."

And the whole blog explosion....
It's all on the internet. For real.

Road Trip To Fort Worth

Ok, so the Road Show hasn’t blogged about any road trips, so now we’ll attempt to catch up. Most recent trip first:

2 day trip to Forth Worth to see DB#2 working at a seminar for the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Assn. and to do a little museum hopping, as well.

4 ½ hours in the car got us to Grapevine, Texas. We hurried to the Grapevine Convention Center to catch the last seminar on wine marketing. Had a good time looking at labels and brochures. Met several interesting people.

Went for margaritas at Esparza’s Mexican Restaurante in Grapevine. Great patio, and “Top Shelf” margs were very good. Terry Bradshaw was said to be in the house, but I didn’t see him, as we kept our seats on the patio.

Dinner at the Gaylord Texan Resort, a little bit of Disneyland in Texas. We ate at the Ama Lur Restaurant, thanks to our connection with the TWGGA. The food was excellent and we enjoyed some nice Texas wines.

Headed back to Grapevine and the Baymont Inn and Suites for a night’s rest.

Breakfast the next morning with DB#2 was good and free, thanks to the Baymont. Texas-shaped Belgian waffles (make your own) were great!

Then, off to Fort Worth for some culture.


First stop was the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, which has a terrific building. It was hard to tear oneself away from the floor-to-ceiling windows to look at the art on the walls. We spent a long time looking at the Chuck Close exhibit on his work with printing techniques. We know way more than we thought we’d learn about printing, but the guy is a genius.

There are lots of nooks and hidden spaces here that make one think they’ve missed something, but it’s worth a couple of hours here. Lunch at the Museum Café was good (no Texas wines on the list, hmmmm), but no macaroni and cheese as had been recommended.

Then across the street to the Kimball Art Museum. No traveling show this time, but we were treated to “Masterpieces”-items from the permanent collection. They collect art from ancient up to early 20th century. Many interesting pieces. Quality, not quantity, is their watchword.

After a quick trip to DFW Airport to say goodbye to DB#2, we headed back on I-35 toward home. 680 miles, about $70 in gas, companionship and art, priceless!

What I'm Reading-April/May

Update on last "What I'm Reading" post:

The Last Tuesday Book Club (LTBC) finished "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey. It was an interesting read, a unique style of writing, very visceral. If I had read it believing that it was an accurate memoir, I would have been horrified by the poor man's experiences. Knowing that it was largely fiction made it a little easier to take. You have to give the guy credit for elaboration and creating suspense--good fiction writing qualities. I guess the story is that no publisher would buy it as fiction, only when it was packaged as memoir was it able to be published.

LTBC is not reading a book for May, but going to see "The Da Vinci Code" movie. We read that book soon after it came out, and have been waiting impatiently to see what Ron Howard does with the story. Will report back early next month.

The book for June is "Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden.

I joined a newly formed book club, now unofficially named the "WMD Bookclub"--(WMD= Wednesday Morning Docents). We read "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress" by Dai Sijie.
It is about 2 boys in China who get sent to a remote mountain village for reeducation during the Cultural Revolution. It is a wonderful story, with a surprise ending. It is also available on DVD, directed by the author, and so follows the book very well.

The next book for the WMDs is "Gift From The Sea" by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. This book was written over 50 years ago, but is amazingly relevant today. Especially for women of a certain age (my age). Rereading it this week I was surprised that it resonated deeply.

I'm about 2/3 of the way through "Wild Swans-Three Daughters of China." Fascinating history of the 20th century in China through the eyes of one family.

I've started "Inventing the Rest of Our Lives" by Susanne Braun Levine. More later on that.

I finished "Lost in A Good Book" by Thursday Next. Really funny and absorbing. You have to know literature and history to get a lot of the jokes. I know I'm missing a lot of the humor...

Also enjoyed the excerpt from Anderson Cooper's memoir of Hurricane Katrina and coming to terms with his brother's death that was in "Vanity Fair" this month. I don't think Anderson is ever photographed with a smile on his face. Too bad.

What are you all reading out there in the blogosphere?

The Gall Bladder Report #2

It's been almost 3 weeks since the operation and it's true: time heals all wounds. The steri-strips are off and the little slits are fading away. Only have one area of some discomfort (the place where the laparoscopic camera goes in has internal stitches), but that's getting better.

I got the all-clear from the surgeon this week: back to normal but watch the heavy lifting for a while. Fine by me. (Those books have been in the garage for 5 years; a few more weeks won't make too much difference.....)

I asked about nutritional concerns since the gall bladder aids in digestion, especially of fatty foods. Doc said I might experience 'faster than normal' elimination after eating something with too much fat, but that doesn't hold true for everyone. I usually watch the fat intake anyway......

It seems that many people are having those pesky gall bladders removed--ask several people you know and chances are they've had a family member or friend who has gone through the GB removal process....testimony to our less-than-stellar diets...

Eat well, but thoughtfully.

The Gall Bladder Report

<>It’s laparoscopic, they said. Only 3 small incisions, they said. After 2 or 3 days you’re feeling fine, they said. You can go back to work in a week, they said. In whose universe are they living?????

Not mine.

Ok, I tried to find out the name of the electro-cautery machine used on me. No one seemed to know or care to know. Even though there can be problems with stray electrical pulses that can burn internal organs.

I tried to rid my body of fats and cholesterol before the surgery. I did have gall stones and had to have the endoscopic procedure to crush them first. That could explain the bruises….

I have 4 small incisions, I think. It’s hard to tell with the steri-strips that take the place of stitches…. Some are quite yucky-looking. The steri-strips come off in about 10 days and then you are healed.

This is the 5^th day after surgery and the first day that I feel like myself. I’m still sore in the upper abdomen when I walk around and bending and lifting is somewhat problematical. I’m not supposed to lift more than 20 lbs. for several weeks. But there are no restrictions on diet or driving, as long as I’m not on pain medication.

The medication that has helped the most is a muscle relaxant, as I have been plagued with severe muscle spasms in the middle of the night and in the day. Also, Motrin is helpful.

For info on the WebMd site about gall bladders, you can follow this link:

http://www.webmd.com/hw/digestive_problems/zw1012.asp

Have to profusely thank DH for being the best nurse one could ask for. xoxoxoxo.

Thanks for all the gifts, calls, cards, e-cards, too! I really appreciate it!

Pia-you shouldn’t have! But Thanks!!!!!

Chiasmus!

Chiasmus

Do you know what this is? If you did, you could impress your friends and colleagues with your knowledge of little known grammatical terms.

Chiasmus is a sentence where major parts of parallel phrases are inverted to make an interesting and powerful statement.

You already are familiar with chiasmus, even if you have never heard the term.

Probably the most famous chiastic sentence is from John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Speech:

“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

By rearranging the “your country can do” and “you can do” phrases, you have a powerful and memorable sentence.

Dr. Mardy Grothe is the foremost collector of chiastic phrases, and the most ardent cheerleader for spreading the words of famous people in history who are known for chiastic, oxymoronic, and other interesting turns of phrase.

Check it out (scratch the surface) at www.chiasmus.com.

You can receive weekly emails from him that detail interesting people and their famous quotes.

He has published several books and has websites to learn more!

Try making your own! It’s fun!

Mah Jongg box with trays 

5 Trays with Mah Jongg pieces 

My Latest Obsession

I've received my Mah Jongg set from a very nice Ebay seller in Indiana. It is a vintage set from China, made for export in the 20's or 30's. The pictures come from the Ebay website-thank you to the seller!
It is a small box with 5 drawers. It contains over 140 bone and bamboo tiles, plus teeny dice and counting sticks and betting discs. Now I'm ready to learn to play Mah Jongg! Unfortunately, the box didn't come with directions!!! I've added a link to a great website: the Mah Jong Museum, which has lots of good info about the history of the game, sets and directions!
I know the game is a cross between dominos and gin rummy, and there are as many variations as there are groups that play it. Will keep you posted on my progress!

Book Title Correction

The correct title for Gabriel Garcia Marquez's masterpiece, is, of course, "One Hundred Years of Solitude."

Cliff at Beachy Head, England 

What I'm Reading

I seem to have finished more books than usual this month.

I like to read one book at a time, but I often seem to have two books going at once.

The first book I read this month was Cliffs of Despair:A Journey to The Edge by Tom Hunt. I saw a review of it and thought it would be interesting because it talks about a place I’ve visited. It’s about the cliffs in southern England called Beachy Head that are one of the top places in the world for suicides. When I went there I didn’t know this. I just wanted to see the white cliffs, and when I looked on a map, I knew we could go to Beachy Head. Now that I think about it, our driver guide probably thought we wanted to see it because of its reputation…She didn’t want to linger there, but we were fascinated and could have rambled over the grounds for longer than we did.

I’ll try to add one of my photos of Beachy Head (very similar to the one on the cover of the book).
At any rate, the history of the place and the author’s attempts to understand why people commit suicide is interesting. I’m sort of glad I didn’t know all this when I went there.

The next book I finished was The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion. Interestingly enough, Rory Gilmore was reading this book in an episode of “Gilmore Girls”, which I thought a strange choice. I’ve never read any of Ms. Didion’s work before, and I enjoyed her direct style. This is a very personal account of what it’s like to lose a family member suddenly, and how hard it is to go on alone.

For my book clubs we had an oldie and a new book.

The Last Tuesday Book Club (LTBC) will discuss Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert-I’d never read this book, and I’m glad we put it on our list. I will be interested to hear the opinions of the book club members on this book. I don’t think I would have gotten through it in high school, however.

Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez-This is my first Garcia Marquez book, although I started One Thousand Years of Solitude at some point. It is only 120 pages long, but it isn’t a fast read. Perhaps it’s the translation, or just the way the story goes from present to past and back again. Some of the similes and metaphors are amazing. I’m not sure if this is a very good book, although it seems that it is an interesting portrait of an old man trying to keep living. I’m not sure he ever deflowered the virgin he wanted on his 90^th birthday. Perhaps the book club discussion will enlighten me. Anyway, you could have a good time comparing this book to Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead for old men looking back on their lives.

On tap for next month are: A Million Little Pieces by James Frey (LTBC selection).

Wild Swans by Jung Chan (to feed my China obsession)

Lost in a Good Book by Jason Fforde (sequel to The Eyre Affair)-A Thursday Next novel. Michiko Kakutani called Thursday Next a cross between Bridget Jones, Nancy Drew and Dirty Harry. That’s about right. Actually, I’ve already started this one. Twice.

Why Blog?

My first/most recent post was a little snippy. I didn't save earlier posts so they won't be reposted here. So herewith a new post.

Why blog? This is a very good question. Perhaps people want to comment. I'm not sure why I want to do this, but I do. I guess my friend's blog is cool and when I see her interesting posts and great photos, want to do it, too. I know my kids have blogs, so I guess this helps me move a little further into 21st century technology. I don't know what will come out of this, so it's an interesting experiment. I wonder what others get from their blogs.

I will post more info about the great mah jong set I purchased on ebay, but my payment took a while to go through and I haven't gotten word about shipment.

Beginning Again

I deleted the first incarnation of Molly's Road Show and am giving this a second chance. No help from Blogger about the fact that I could not view my blog after the first post. I hope the Google people have been working on their servers and whatever, because I am rapidly becoming disenchanted. Nothing worse than extending the promise of cool technology and then not being able to use it....
Will check back and see if this blog is viewable.