Bizzy Bizzy Bizzy!!!

Buffett came to town on Tuesday and, OF COURSE, we were there!!! I did my standard (awesome) Pre-Show Tailgate Party (but didn't make The Parking Lot Video this time, unfortunately).

I have much to Ramble about regarding the Buffett Show, but don't have much time - so I'll have to post updates later...

But, suffice it to say, it was an AWESOME SHOW and I had a freakin' blast!!!

In other news: I'm going to be taking a brief hiatus starting this Saturday. Mom, BFF Sharon (we've been friends since Elementary School), and I are piling into mom's car and heading for So-Cal. On Sunday, we'll board Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas and spend seven days cruising Mexico!

I actually booked this cruise while I was on my last cruise in April of this year: The Hogs on the High Seas Rally Cruise, and this is actually the EXACT SAME cruise. Same ship. Same Ports of Call. Except that on the HOHS Rally, instead of "Formal Nights" they had "Leather Required Nights!" (and the entire atmosphere is MUCH more relaxed!). But anyway, I booked it b/c I found a good deal on a Balcony Room and, between the three of us, it was actually *quite* reasonably priced... (appx $800 pp for a week-long cruise - which included Trip Cancellation Insurance). I would have preferred a suite, but it just didn't work out that way...

Anyway - Cool thing about this particular cruise is that we'll get to celebrate Halloween at sea. And I've always been a bit of a Halloween Freak (to the point where mom kept asking me "When are you going to outgrow this?!!" "Uhh, Never?!")

I used to be pretty notorious w/my Halloween Costumes and/or decorations - to the point of utter tastelessness. I recall one year, back in my BofA Daze [when I was a manager - no less!] my Team was totally on-board with the idea of an Anti-Christmas Vignette. So we decorated a Christmas Tree w/severed doll-parts and set-up Santa on a guillotine! (Yes, Extremely Tasteless!!!!).

Also, we've been very non-PC in the past. Back in the 80's - during some Middle-Eastern Crisis - Sharon and I dressed up as Terrorists (complete w/flak jackets from the local Army-Surplus store, and berets, and toy M-16's). Back in those days, we were NCR Operators (NCR = National Cash Register. Those were the machines that would "encode" those little computer numbers on the bottoms of your checks). We'd spray-painted the office with "NCR Non-Conformist-Revolution - JOIN US OR DIE!!!" propaganda.

Luckily, a pair of our co-workers had shown up, dressed up as Arab Oil Sheiks, so we took them hostage!

Yes, decidedly Non-PC! (I think, nowadays, we'd be called in to HR for the antics we used to pull!!!)

Hell, I could probably post dozens of stories from our heyday, but maybe another time...

For now, I'll post the latest in my "Shopping [Mis]Adventures" related to Halloween 2008 (However "pedestrian" it may be!!!).

So, Halloween will be celebrated while we on our cruise... I still actually have several "Elaborate" costumes in storage - but mom's car has limited storage capacity (and no trailer hitch!!!). So I'm having to dial-it-back significantly...

So I've settled on being a Witch for Halloween (:::YAWN:::). Hey, I've got the gear - and it's readily accessible (I found it in my closet!). And it won't require much room to pack!

So... I already had the hat (black velvet) and cape (also black velvet), but needed add'l accoutrements... And here's an excerpt of an email to Sharon that I wanted to share.............

Oooh! Long's Drugs had Halloween sh*t on-sale!!!

I got a long black wig (w/white streaks), some green face-paint (the greasy stuff), some ultra-light colored "regular" foundation (that I can mix w/the green-greasy stuff) and assorted other make-up items (mostly regular stuff - but some halloweeny crap, too).

And I found a cool little witches broom. Black w/orange mylar broomy-stuff and spider-webs at the bottom (hope it'll fit in my suitcase!!!).

So I did all this shopping at Long's. Prob'ly took me about 15-20 minutes to select all my stuff, right?

Took me OVER THIRTY MINUTES to get checked out!!!

It's like, all the Halloween Shelves have signs on them saying "40% Off!" "50% Off!" So when I go to check-out, I've got this nice little retirement-aged lady at the register. Things ring up and I ask - "Was that on sale?" "No. It didn't ring up as On-Sale. Should it have?" (Don't you just HATE getting behind people like me?!!).

"Well, the signs on the shelves said they were on sale - Let me go double-check" (since the Halloween Aisle was "Right There!")

"Oh, I'll come with you" says little-old-lady.

(And the people behind me in-line huffed and wandered off to a different line!!!)

(Yeah, I hate getting behind people like me, too!!!)

So we wander over to the Halloween Aisle and - sure-as-sh*t - everything's supposed to be 40-50% off "With In-Store Coupon."

So we wander back to the register and pore through the In-Store Ads to find the coupons. Yep. 50% off all Halloween Costumes. 40% off all Halloween Wigs, Make-up and Accessories...

So we have to back EVERYTHING out of the register, and key them in, individually w/the discounts, right?

Then we get to the fake tattoos (Like panty-hose for arms... Army hose???), And the mylar broom thingie... And we have to call over another check-out clerk to determine if these are part of the sale, as well... A deep, philosophical discussion ensues and it is determined that the Army Hose *must* be a costume (so 50% off).

But we're not sure about the broom, right?

"Is this a Halloween Accessory?" wonders the check-out lady

"I would THINK so" I replied. (What the hell else WOULD it be???)

Well, second check-out lady was consulted again, and she seemed to agree (And, hey, that was the Big Ticket item @ $7.99!!!), so I got that at 40% off!!!

Jeezus H. Jehosaphat!!!

(Actually, it was worth it in the end, b/c I think I got close to $20 knocked off the total)

Anyway... I think I'm all set for Halloween, now! Found my witches hat and my black cape in the closet. I can wear those with black leggings and a black tank top (Gawd - for a middle-aged woman who sweats like a pig, going to a warm-vacation-destination, I seem to be packing an inordinate quantity of Black Velvet outfits!)

Hey - You've got the Daily Log Thingies from our last cruise, right? Which nights were "Formal?" If one of 'em was Friday, then we're off the hook for formal-wear (I think/hope!)

Okay, I'm "Officially" getting excited now (it's about damned time!!!). All I gotta do is finish laundry (only 1.5 loads to go!) and get packing!

So, that's about All the News that's Fit to Print (or at least All the News that I've got Time to Report!!!). I haven't decided whether I'll bring my laptop on the cruise or not (depends upon luggage space, I think!). I do know that WiFi on this particular ship... Well... "Sucks" for lack of a better term!!! They do have an internet cafe, but they charge "by the minute" and I'm pretty damned cheap! So I may not have anything to post until we get back!