The Open Door Policy

I can usually tell when Mark has been in a room. See? He was in here. He must have been so thirsty that there was no time to close the door after getting a glass.

And look he was here, too! I asked him to put some heavy things back in the closet for me, which he did.

It seems that the downstairs bathroom must have needed another roll of toilet paper.

And the one that drives me crazy - he opens all the doors to his closet - and leaves them open. Perhaps he's concerned that Heidi might be hiding in the closet and if he closed the doors she would be locked in. (Although Heidi is a clever girl when it comes to doors.) Or perhaps he just wants me to see the laundry that is sometimes on the closet floor instead of in the hamper - just to make sure it gets washed (or at least put in the hamper).

But really, if this is my worst complaint (and it is!) I truly have a gem! (Love you, sweetie!)

The Catalogs Have Arrived

I opened my post office box today to find that there was nothing in it except for one small yellow card that said I had too much mail to fit in the box.

I hate when that happens. And it happens all too frequently. My dad used to make the remark "The catalogs have arrived" when he noticed that the postman had stopped because their mailbox would be stuffed with catalogs - all addressed to my mother. And now look at me - I've become my mother. All of these catalogs arrived today for me.

Just look at them! I've even got two from Appleseed's. But they're different. Why don't they just have one bigger one? Do they save on postage and paper by sending me two? (I rather doubt it. And although I haven't looked, I'd be willing to bet that some of the same merchandise is featured in both catalogs.) There's even one called "Back in the Saddle". As you might expect, it is filled with things for people who either have, or are crazy about horses. I don't dislike horses, but let's just say that cats are higher on my list.

Keep in mind that this is what was delivered TODAY. Earlier in the week I got one from Home Decorators, two more from Draper's and Damon's, one more from the Tog Shop and one from FootSmart.

I know how it happened. I ordered one thing, one time and my name and address were sold to everyone in the world and I will remain on their mailing lists for all eternity. Some of them send me catalogs with a notice that "if you don't order this will be the last catalog you receive". If only that were true.

Most of them go straight into the recycle bin. Unless there's something I need or something specific that I'm looking for, keeping these things around is a source of clutter and I just don't have the time for it. But every now and again, I find the time and then I find the perfect sweater or jacket that no one else I know will have and my mailbox continues to be stuffed.

Determination

I went to a seminar back in November with the intention of learning to trade the foreign exchange market. I had heard that it is easy. So far, the only thing that's been really easy for me is losing money. Not big chunks, but small ones - $7 here, $20 there. But they add up. The good news is, I'm not playing with real money. It's a "practice" account. However, practice only makes perfect when you know what you're doing wrong. Right now, I'm experiencing a great deal of frustration because I'm not getting it right. I keep getting in on the wrong side - not because I clicked the wrong button, but because I thought it was going to go up and it went down or I thought it was going to go down and it went up. To make it even worse, Mark has been dabbling in the practice account, too. He made $500 on a $200 investment his first week. But I can't seem to leave him alone. I look over his shoulder and explain to him why it is a bad trade and convince him to get out of that one and go with a different one - where he subsequently loses money, just like me. (Of course, if he hadn't followed my advice, he would have made a nice profit.) At this stage, he's told me to leave him and his trades alone - and who could blame him?

I don't know why this is proving so difficult. I can read charts. On Tuesday I entered an equities trade that I sold today for a 10% profit. Pretty good for three days! So why the currency charts are proving so difficult for me is a bit of a mystery. I was so ticked off at myself yesterday evening over my inability to get it right that I told Mark I wasn't going to trade it today - I thought I'd stick to something I was competent at, like laundry.

But sometime during the night I had an epiphany. There are other people who are trading forex successfully and some of them are not especially bright. If they can get it, so can I. So there.

I have a new plan of attack. I am going to focus on only one currency (at least until I get the hang of it). I am going to study those charts and study them some more. I am going to email my mentor and see what suggestions he has. I understand that it is about probabilities not certainties and once I can interpret the charts, I'll have a better handle on what the probabilities are. I'll let you know how it goes.

Fear of Fluing

I don't like to get a flu shot. I never did. But I accept it as a necessary evil of life past age 60. But I don't go rushing out at the first of October to get one. I wait until Mark starts to bug me about it, typically sometime in December.

I prefer to get the vaccine at a clinic or a doctor's office rather than at a pharmacy. I have my reasons. A shot in the arm will debilitate me for a week. I might as well have the flu as to give up the use of my arm. A friend suggested that I get it in my left arm since I am right handed. Hello!! I type! I use both hands! That's just not going to work. Besides that, I hyperventilate at the mere sight of a needle.

What I need is a jab in the butt. In all my 60+ years I have yet to have my butt debilitated. (Sure, I've been tired enough that it's been dragging, but so far - touch wood - I haven't lost the use of it.) And I'm just not comfortable with dropping my pants in a pharmacy.

Another option is the smaller, thinner needle. You pay extra for that, which I don't mind at all. The issue is finding it. Actually, I can't find any vaccine in any form. I spent a good part of yesterday morning trying to track down the vaccine. The stories varied slightly - "We don't have any but we should have some at 1 o'clock." "We don't have any but we should get it in on Tuesday." "We don't have any and we won't get anymore until next October." But there is a common theme - "We don't have any."

Meanwhile, the media keep talking about the flu epidemic and the scarcity of vaccine which probably contributes to it being gone 10 minutes after it comes in. I'm not yet prepared to camp out in a Minute Clinic. I probably shouldn't be too upset about it. It's only 62% effective anyway. And it takes two weeks before it kicks in.

But I AM concerned about getting on a trans-Atlantic flight in a few weeks. I'd hoped to bolster my flu immunity as much as possible before making that trip. After all, people will get on an airplane when they are next to death just to avoid the change fees. I've got two weeks to find the vaccine. Wish me luck.

Not as Grand as I Thought

Grand Hyatts are typically very good. My expectations of them are certainly high. Their own web site states that they have "exceptional guest service, upscale amenities, popular food and beverage programs, and innovative interior designs..." I had high expectations.

Certainly the location is perfect. There are doors for street level and Riverwalk level. You go out the Riverwalk level door and there is a water taxi stop right there. But it's a short walk to the shops and restaurants, and a short walk to the Rivercenter Mall and the Alamo. Perfectly situated. And we got a great price - roughly $90 per night. That was grand!

On our first night there, as we went outside to go for an evening stroll along the Riverwalk, I immediately realized that I needed a coat and went back upstairs to get one. When I opened the door to the room, I noticed a flyer on the floor that hadn't been there when we left. Pizza. Somebody wants to deliver pizza. Good food in Achiote, the hotel's restaurant - dozens of restaurants in easy walking distance and someone wants me to order delivery pizza? But that's not what bothered me about the pizza flyer. The fact that it was under my door meant that someone who was neither an employee nor a guest of the hotel was roaming the halls freely stuffing things under doors. I found that disturbing. What other people might have been in the hotel and for what purpose? It didn't make me feel warm and fuzzy. I took the flyer and stopped by the concierge desk. They were suitably distressed, thanked me for bringing down the flyer and promised to get security right on it. (A better response than I got from the Marriott Courtyard two years earlier - that young lady looked at me like my hair was on fire and informed me that they had no control over who entered the hotel. Note that I have not stayed at the Marriott Courtyard since.) So when I found another flyer the following night, I assumed that the display of concern was more for show and I decided just to collect the flyers and speak with the manager when we checked out.

But let's get back to why the Grand Hyatt wasn't quite so grand. There's a sign in the bathroom that says the bed linens will only be changed on request. That should save them a bundle in laundry! And it saves water and I truly don't mind. I sure don't change the sheets at home on a daily basis. I'm okay with that. Of course there's a system for replacing towels. You hang it up if you intend to use it again and leave it on the floor if you want it replaced. I think this system is fairly universal. But no one told the maid at the Grand Hyatt. She left a towel on the floor and a wet washcloth in the tub. That doesn't happen at the Comfort Inn and it shouldn't have happened at the Grand Hyatt. I didn't mind that they weren't replacing the toiletries on a daily basis. But I did think that when the shampoo was half gone that they should have replaced it. But they didn't. Again, not what I expected from a Grand Hyatt. The bathtub didn't drain properly, either. By the time both of us had taken a shower the tub was over half full and I have no idea how many hours it took to completely drain it. I know we had an exceptionally good deal on the room, but even though it was a budget price, it's not a budget hotel.

When Linda booked our rooms back in September, there was an offer to attend the roof top New Year's Eve party for $17. Not knowing in September what the weather would be like in December, she decided that we could book that when we arrived. All weekend long the weather forecast for New Year's Eve included rain and thunderstorms. We were so pleased on New Year's Eve when the fog started to lift and the rain stopped. It would be a good night to be at that roof-top, poolside party. Mark and I went to the concierge desk to get tickets. Imagine my surprise when they told me the price had gone from $17 to $35. Surely he thought we'd wandered in off the street. That price couldn't be for hotel guests. "What!?! You let random people wander the halls, you don't replace the toiletries, you don't pick up dirty towels, the bathtub doesn't drain and you want me to pay $35 each to stand on the roof and watch fireworks???"

That certainly blind-sided the concierge and that was when Mark told me to go sit down and leave it to him. I'm not sure what he said, but when it was all said and done we had free passes to the rooftop, a three day supply of toiletries was delivered to our room, the bathroom was cleaned, the tub was drained and the bed was remade."

Happy New Year!!

Stopping Dead in the Tracks

The Riverwalk is a great place to get out and walk around. The serious power walkers and joggers are down at the Museum Reach or King William areas. The people who are just out for a stroll are hanging around the horseshoe where all the shops and restaurants are located. It's typically really crowded on weekends. Cold and mildly drizzly weekends are no exception. It's bumper to bumper, except everyone is on foot. And unlike traffic lanes that are clearly marked, people just walk anywhere they can find a spot to put their feet in front of them.

So it's very cozy. You have to watch out for people gesturing with cigarettes in hand and kids who are excited at the sight of ducks. But what I find amusing (and somewhat annoying) is that people can be walking along and all of a sudden, without any warning whatsoever, they just stop.

Sometimes several people stop at once. Sometimes it's only one. Sometimes they've been distracted by something shiny or interesting in a window - or something (someone) a bit bizarre. Sometimes they have to stop because the way has been blocked by other people, or by baby strollers, or by people gesturing with lit cigarettes. And sometimes they just realize they're going the wrong way and turn around right into you.

I'm almost certain that I've been guilty of this offense, but after this weekend, I'm certainly more aware. I'll do my best not to stop dead in my tracks ever again.

The Good and the Bad

San Antonio is a good place to eat out. Rumor has it that the very best Mexican food in Texas is in San Antonio. (I think it is in San Antonio, but it is NOT on the Riverwalk.) But in addition to Mexican food, there are steak houses, seafood houses, barbecue places, burger joints, Irish and English pubs, Italian restaurants, and pizza. (You have to get off the Riverwalk if you want Asian food.)

We've got our favorites - we absolutely must eat at Boudro's at least once per trip. Same for Landry's Seafood - and we typically try one or more places we've never been.

Zuni Grill is one of those places that we visit each trip, but always at breakfast for some reason. We typically share the smoked salmon and bagel. But this time Mark was not in the mood to share that. He wanted bacon and eggs. I don't do breakfast eggs. Hard-boiled eggs chopped up in salads are fine. Deviled eggs are fine. But scrambled, over-easy, or poached eggs are just things I don't eat. I opted for a side order of breakfast potatoes, a side order of toast and a side order of bacon. All in all, our little group of four had ordered BACON and eggs, sausage and eggs, BACON and breakfast potatoes, and BACON, breakfast potatoes and toast. Let's count the number of times someone said BACON. That would be three. When the food came out, the men got their bacon and eggs and sausage and eggs, Linda got her breakfast potatoes and I got my breakfast potatoes and toast. Linda and I looked at each other and then at our waitress, who said "Your bacon will be right out." Okay, that worked for me. Mark offered to loan me a piece of his bacon. I'm glad I took him up on his offer because it took five minutes for Linda's bacon to arrive and I never did get mine. When everyone else had finished their meals I informed the waitress that she could cancel my bacon because I rather wanted it while everyone else was eating, not after. Then she asked if an order of bacon had come out. (Yes, but only one.) Then she said she hadn't charged us for any. ("Excuse me, three of us ordered it and you only heard it once?") She proceeded to tell me that she was very good at her job and that she didn't make mistakes and that she hadn't charged us for any bacon even though she'd sent out an extra order. -- I was wondering what had prompted her to say, "Your bacon will be right out" if she was under the impression that no one had ordered any. But I was on vacation and not inclined to argue with a waitress about how well she does her job. I got to vote with the reduced tip. And when Mark suggested going back there another day, I got to vote again with an "I don't think so."

We also ate at Schilo's Deli. Our lunch was good and we went back for breakfast the next day. We also had dinner at Landry's Seafood. Food and service were both good and we decided to go back the next night for the happy hour food specials. ($5 peel and eat shrimp, fried calamari and bacon-wrapped shrimp. - More than one way to get bacon.) We also went to LaMargarita in Market Square. As always, great food - some of the best. And if you like Mariachi bands - one comes by your table several times to see if you'd like them to serenade you. (I almost never do.)

On New Year's Eve we had lunch at Waxy O'Connor's Irish pub. Mark and James had chicken wings - no noticeable difference between medium and super-hot. I think they only make one variety and serve it up regardless of whether the order is for mild, medium or hot. Linda and I had cups of potato leek soup. It was more bland than if it had come out of a can. I suspect they opened a can of potato soup and threw in a couple slices of over-cooked leek. But this lunch was worth every penny we paid. (Since the wait time had been well over 30 minutes, the waiter went to check on it and came back to report that the kitchen had delivered it. To someone else it seems. So they offered to prepare more for us at no charge. I'd say the price was right.

Then on New Year's Eve we ate at Boudro's. It is still absolutely the best food on the Riverwalk - maybe in all of San Antonio. The steaks are to die for. The sides are wonderful and the service is attentive. We enjoy sitting outside, but the next time we'll ask not to be seated too close to the edge of Boudro's space. The problem is that it butts up against a cheap Mexican restaurant that caters to families and has children running amok, which can be somewhat distracting when you don't have your back to them.

But the biggest rip-off on the entire Riverwalk has to be Durty Nelly's Irish Pub. There is absolutely no reason in the world for a salad to cost $15. There is also no excuse for serving drinks in plastic cups unless it's poolside, which it is not. The piano player is okay, but he's not so good that I want to take out a mortgage to spend an evening in there stepping on peanut shells. Give me Boudro's, or Landry's, or Ostra (we missed that one this trip) or even the Hard Rock Cafe, any day.

New Year's Resolutions

Last year I made a few New Year's Resolutions - to read an average of two books per month, to see an average of one movie per month and to read the New Testament. (By the way, I succeeded with all of those except the books - I got a bit behind when I encountered a really tough read and fell two books short of the goal.) A few people last year asked me why I bother with New Year's Resolutions. I guess I just really miss some mid-level corporate manager imposing nonsensical goals on me so I impose them on myself. But we've been quite busy so instead of making up completely new ones, I'm just going to modify the same ones I had last year. Here goes:

1. I plan to read an average of one book per month. (I should be able to manage one per month easily since I was only two books short when the goal was two per month.)
2. I plan to see an average of two movies per month. (It's easier to see a movie than read a book. I'll need to see a few more movies this coming year than I did last year, but I think I can manage.)
3. In addition to reading the New Testament, I plan to read the books of the Apocrypha. (I'm already close to halfway through that, so it shouldn't be that difficult.)
4. I also plan to take an average of one seminar per month so that I can learn to be better at what I do. (Okay, that one's completely new.)

You may think that I'm not setting any real challenges for myself - like losing weight or running a marathon. And while those are certainly worthy goals, I prefer to have achievable goals. Maybe I should make that "easily" achievable goals. I find that life is challenging enough without setting unachievable goals. I'll leave that to those corporate types...