September 06, 2008

Things I Learned in Georgia

I just got back from vacation in Georgia (in your neck of the woods, Glenn) to visit my brother and his family. Georgia would never be my first choice if I had to pick an exciting vacation spot, but it was so wonderful to see my brother, whom I haven't seen since Christmas.



THINGS I LEARNED WHILE IN GEORGIA


1. Fire ants should not be provoked. I had never really heard of fire ants before my latest trip to GA, but I was intrigued when my six-year-old nephew told me to stay away from the little brown hills of dirt in their yard. Of course when I hear the word "don't" I usually try to do it, so I ran over a few of the ants' homes with various tires (a bike, the stroller) and was amazed at the fury of the ants. I still didn't really buy the story that they will surround your feet and sting you. Unfortunately, one solitary ant decided my foot would be the perfect place to bite and I spent the next few days feeling like a needle was in my foot. I guess I should have listened.

2. McCain is playing a good game. While at the airport, I ran into a gift shop to get some drinks before our flight and I was bombarded with the press conference coverage of John McCain announcing his vice president pick. Even with my contacts in, I still squinted at the screen expecting to see Romney's name. I was shocked when I saw "Sarah" and instantly felt a pang of anger.

"He picked a woman!?" I stated/kind of asked to the woman behind the counter who had been watching. She just smiled.

"Obama didn't pick Hillary and McCain picked a woman?" I asked, as if I was talking to a CNN legal analyst.

"Weird, huh?" she answered as she rang up my apple juice.

"I can't friggin' believe it!" I repeated as I walked back to our gate.

As a general aside, I was extremely disappointed when Hillary didn't get the nomination and I was even further devastated when she wasn't offered the VP position. I cried like a baby when I watched her video and speech from the DNC convention. It was a dream that came to an end. I will certainly not vote for McCain just because he picked someone with ovaries, but I was somewhat embarrassed that he had the balls to pick a woman. Well, I was impressed, too.

3. I am not going to fly US Air again. They charge you for your checked bags and they charge you $2 for a lousy can of soda on the plane. Do they really think anyone would notice two extra dollars tacked on to their plane fare? As someone who gets really excited (a little too excited one could argue) when I see the beverage cart coming ever-so-slowly down the aisle, I need the beverage cart. Being stuck in a big metal box in the sky makes everything consumed taste much better. For the record, we flew Delta to ATL and they gave free drinks AND peanuts. Kelly was happy.

4. I really like Pennsylvania.

5. Humidity really, really blows. I'd pay Jennifer Aniston $100 dollars to stand in Olympic Park for ten minutes on a hot August day. Then let's see how straight her hair stays.

6. When Coke is free, you don't really want to drink too much of it. Now charge me $2.49 for it and I'll drink it like a...well, like I usually do.

7. Did I mention I really like Pennsylvania?