The Bouncy Castle in Space

Honeybug said:

Shelia--whatever you do--don't wave a camera at them. They'll shoot you down quick, fast and in a hurry!! Just give them the pity wave and call it a day!

Click to expand...

Sounds good. No camera. Although I really want to show you how incredibly low this huge helicopter was, so you can see why I was so freaked out. Seriously, the pilot could have jumped and landed on my roof without hurting himself. Okay, maybe he might have hurt himself, since my roof is slanted and he probably would have rolled off and hit the ground pretty hard, but still.

Of course, if they were checking out sites for his short meeting with tech leaders, they have probably ruled out the place with the crazy waving lady across the street.

LOL at almost seeing the Pres buzz your house!

I just found out I have a double ear infection which perfectly explains the hideous pain in my ears and general inability to hear. Nyaaa! Antibiotics and naps are my friends. I'm moping around the house reading the second Gods of Manhattan book with the tv turned up really loud.

Kitty Pryde said:

LOL at almost seeing the Pres buzz your house!

I just found out I have a double ear infection which perfectly explains the hideous pain in my ears and general inability to hear. Nyaaa! Antibiotics and naps are my friends. I'm moping around the house reading the second Gods of Manhattan book with the tv turned up really loud.

Click to expand...

Aw, that sounds awful. I've never heard of a double ear infection - yikes!

Hope those antibiotics kick in quick!

Hope the antibiotics do the trick Kitty!

Sheila, you should just put out a big sign and watch through the window!! Draw a pic of a waving hand. Take pictures from the window!! Better safe than sorry!

President stalker update:

The President did show up today, Tuesday was indeed a dry run. He said to say "Hi."

Holy cow, what a production. Three massive green copters, and then Marine One, a two-toned copter, and a decoy Marine One. And then about 5 Presidential limos (decoys, I'm sure), and about 20 cars of various kinds (Highway Patrol, local cops, etc). I would share my picture, but I don't know how to do that here.

The scariest thing was this: Canada College (that's with a Spanish en-yay kind of n, not like the wonderful country to the north) is slightly rural, nestled on a hill in Woodside. Me and my two boys were standing by the tennis courts, where we could see the copters come up from SFO. All of a sudden, a deer sprints by near us. Then another, and another. My boys start counting while the only thing going through my head is "Jurassic Park!!!! WHAT IS CHASING THEM?" (we have had mountain lion sightings. I managed to keep my cool and quickly usher the kids back to the street.

Good times. Thanks for letting me share.

Wow, Sheila! What a great story to be able to tell people. President Obama buzzed my house! Twice! Sort of. I bet it was a really amazing thing to see!

I'm more impressed by the Jurassic Park adventure!! Was it the sound of the choppers or was something really chasing them?? You handled that quite well, I would have been trying to find out what scared them without even thinking about it! Your life is an adventure this week!! Memories...Good times!!

Honeybug said:

I'm more impressed by the Jurassic Park adventure!! Was it the sound of the choppers or was something really chasing them?? You handled that quite well, I would have been trying to find out what scared them without even thinking about it! Your life is an adventure this week!! Memories...Good times!!

Click to expand...

I'm not sure what spooked them. The helicopters were still a ways away. I see one or two deer all the time, but that was a big group. They're shy, but not really scared of people. When I bike by them and they don't even flinch. I've never seen a mountain lion, but there was a report that two had been spotted early in the week on the other side of the hill. And it was just after sunset, which is when they tell you to watch out for them.

I probably just have an overactive imagination.

SheilaJG said:

I'm not sure what spooked them. The helicopters were still a ways away. I see one or two deer all the time, but that was a big group. They're shy, but not really scared of people. When I bike by them and they don't even flinch. I've never seen a mountain lion, but there was a report that two had been spotted early in the week on the other side of the hill. And it was just after sunset, which is when they tell you to watch out for them.

I probably just have an overactive imagination.

Click to expand...

You do have an overactive imagination... but so do we.

I once came upon a large group of deer having a secret meeting in a park. Seriously. It was majorly creepy. My friend and I were breaking sneaking into a public park at night because we have this thing for swings*(er, this was only about four years ago or so...) and adults can't swing during the day because of all the swing-hogging brats children.

We hopped the fence and ran straight for the swings. And looked up and saw many, many deer - at least ten or so - congregating in the picnic area. It was like that scene from The Birds, but with deer.

To make things even creepier... we were in the city.

(And no, we were not drunk or high)

*How weird am I that my wildest tale of lawbreaking involves a swingset? And my second wildest tale of lawbreaking involves viewing the downtown Cincinnati area while sailing down the Ohio River in an inflatable raft we bought at Big Lots. That was so much fun. People in real boats kept asking if we needed to be rescued.

Smish, that's hilarious!

I love the idea of a secret meeting. And I know just what scene you're talking about in The Birds. It's so funny, I was just trying to explain that movie to my 15 YO son, because we'd just driven by a ton of black crows on someone's lawn. He got a look on his face that seemed to say, "and you thought that was scary? A bunch of birds???" But they were crazy birds!

Is it illegal to raft in an inflatable on the Ohio River?

*pokes in*

I'm going to be lurking a bit and may make an occasional post, so wanted to introduce myself. (I used to be called Cella, FWIW.) Anyway, I have an idea for a children's book so I will be looking to develop the idea further as I know nothing about writing for children.

carry on

Smish, I love it.

Nice to meet you, RedWritingHood.

I'm Sick....DRAT.

Oh, welcome RedWritingHood

SheilaJG said:

Smish, that's hilarious!

I love the idea of a secret meeting. And I know just what scene you're talking about in The Birds. It's so funny, I was just trying to explain that movie to my 15 YO son, because we'd just driven by a ton of black crows on someone's lawn. He got a look on his face that seemed to say, "and you thought that was scary? A bunch of birds???" But they were crazy birds!

Is it illegal to raft in an inflatable on the Ohio River?

Click to expand...

I love that movie. And it is scary! Especially the scene at the school...

And I'm not sure if an inflatable is illegal in that part of the Ohio River, but we didn't have life jackets on board, which was a requirement, and our "boat" didn't have lights, which was a requirement.

I'm sure it was an odd sight... two twenty-something girls floating down the river on a raft...

Alanna B. said:

I'm Sick....DRAT.

Oh, welcome RedWritingHood

Click to expand...

Oh, no! You caught it?

RedWritingHood said:

*pokes in*

I'm going to be lurking a bit and may make an occasional post, so wanted to introduce myself. (I used to be called Cella, FWIW.) Anyway, I have an idea for a children's book so I will be looking to develop the idea further as I know nothing about writing for children.

carry on

Click to expand...

Glad to have you here, Red! I'm still waiting on you to do one of the monthly prompts, though.

Spiral said:

Nice to meet you, RedWritingHood.

Click to expand...

Alanna B. said:

Oh, welcome RedWritingHood

Click to expand...

Smish said:

Glad to have you here, Red! I'm still waiting on you to do one of the monthly prompts, though.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the welcome, guys! Happy to be here!

I know, smish! I keep forgetting! D'oh!

SheilaJG said:

I probably just have an overactive imagination.

Click to expand...

Yeah . . . because you're a writer! Overactive imaginations are good for us! I laughed out loud reading your story, especially at the deer/Jurassic Park thing. My husband asked me what I was laughing about. When I told him, it wasn't as funny coming from me.

Smish you crazy girl. I can remember going to a park at the age of 10 or 11 and my cousin who was a year older wouldn't do anything because it was so uncool. She even was disgusted because a group of teenage girls were on the swings having fun and she thought they must be losers. I'm so glad I was a child for as long as I could be. In fact, I'm not really sure I've grown up yet! Although, my butt's too wide to fit those swings comfortably anymore, unless you swing reall high, then it doesn't hurt.

jtrylch13 said:

Smish you crazy girl. I can remember going to a park at the age of 10 or 11 and my cousin who was a year older wouldn't do anything because it was so uncool. She even was disgusted because a group of teenage girls were on the swings having fun and she thought they must be losers. I'm so glad I was a child for as long as I could be. In fact, I'm not really sure I've grown up yet! Although, my butt's too wide to fit those swings comfortably anymore, unless you swing reall high, then it doesn't hurt.

Click to expand...

I have this idea for an adult-only playground. I'd call it a gym.

There would be swings, monkey bars and jungle jims, a giant trampoline (and a bouncy castle...), see-saws, a tug-of-war pit, etc. All built for adults.

Wouldn't that be much more fun than going to the gym and running on a treadmill? You'd burn just as many calories. And it'd be a great way to meet new people...

And I'd actually GO to a gym like that.

Maybe someday, when I win the lottery...

Smish said:

I have this idea for an adult-only playground. I'd call it a gym.

There would be swings, monkey bars and jungle jims, a giant trampoline (and a bouncy castle...), see-saws, a tug-of-war pit, etc. All built for adults.

Wouldn't that be much more fun than going to the gym and running on a treadmill? You'd burn just as many calories. And it'd be a great way to meet new people...

And I'd actually GO to a gym like that.

Maybe someday, when I win the lottery...

Click to expand...

the great thing about kids is that they are uninhibited. That's how they can have fun doing anything.

Spike the smoothies with some alcohol at your gym and you'll have 'em lining up for memberships

RedWritingHood said:

Spike the smoothies with some alcohol at your gym and you'll have 'em lining up for memberships

Click to expand...

Spike the smoothies with alcohol?! No way! One of the only benefits of being an adult is that you're much less likely to get puked on at the playground!

ha ha! good point!

That reminds me, I watched The Sandlot the other day. Forgot how much I enjoyed that movie. I loved when the kids all took some chewing tobacco then went on a ride the amusement park and things didn't end up so well....

*sigh* ahhh...childhood.

RedWritingHood said:

ha ha! good point!

That reminds me, I watched The Sandlot the other day. Forgot how much I enjoyed that movie. I loved when the kids all took some chewing tobacco then went on a ride the amusement park and things didn't end up so well....

*sigh* ahhh...childhood.

Click to expand...

One of the best movies EVER.

My favorite part is when Squints scores a kiss with Wendy Peffercorn!

yeah, that was great! and...

"She doesn't know what she's doing..."

"Yes she does. She knows exactly what she's doing!"


..as she applies her sunscreen.

"Oiling and lotioning, lotioning and oiling..."

Smish said:

I have this idea for an adult-only playground. I'd call it a gym.

There would be swings, monkey bars and jungle jims, a giant trampoline (and a bouncy castle...), see-saws, a tug-of-war pit, etc. All built for adults.

Wouldn't that be much more fun than going to the gym and running on a treadmill? You'd burn just as many calories. And it'd be a great way to meet new people...

And I'd actually GO to a gym like that.

Maybe someday, when I win the lottery...

Click to expand...

When my daughter was a competitive gymnast, my sister and I would dream about being set loose on her gym. There were so many fun things to play on! But the owners never let us. Then one time, they had a sleep over and had adults versus kids in a obstacle course race! Only, I didn't know, and I'd just had my baby, so I had to be home with him! I never got my chance to play. I would totally sign up for your gym Smish!

RedWritingHood said:

ha ha! good point!

That reminds me, I watched The Sandlot the other day. Forgot how much I enjoyed that movie. I loved when the kids all took some chewing tobacco then went on a ride the amusement park and things didn't end up so well....

*sigh* ahhh...childhood.

Click to expand...

I love The Sandlot! My kids and I quote it all the time. "You're killin' me Smalls!" And I love that the mom was the actress in the first Indiana Jones. I've never seen her in anything else. After the first three movies were produced, my vote was for Indiana to end up with her in happily ever after. They gave me my wish (sort of) in IJ 4. But I digress. The Sandlot is simply awesome.