Planes, Trains and Automobiles part 2

Marv and I flew to Virginia for Paul and Anne’s wedding. It took ALL DAY with changing planes and a certain amount of time between flights. I used to enjoy flying, but not anymore. The main reason being the lack of space. You are sardined in with 3 other people. At least they don’t allow smoking on planes anymore. Because of physical issues both Marv and I need aisle seats. Which means we never sit together anymore. And we found out that requesting aisle seats doesn’t mean you will get them. It does no good to complain either. The flight attendants have no say in it. It’s the airline. For one of the longest stretches we were in a plane, both Marv and I were stuck in middle seats. Miserable.

When the kids were little, we parked them with my parents for a weekend train trip to Seattle. Marv had a dental tech seminar and I went along for the ride. We got on the train in Chico at midnight. Truly awful trying to sleep sitting up in an uncomfortable train seat. Once it was daylight it wasn’t bad to watch out the window at the passing scenery. Eating in the dining car was interesting. We were seated on one side of the table and another 2 people were seated on the other side. The food was entirely edible. The biggest drawback was that the observation car had smoking allowed, which meant I couldn’t set foot in there. The trip back was about the same. We arrived back in Chico around midnight.

We’ve driven down to SoCal and back many times. HATE IT! It’s not too bad until you get closer and then the traffic is horrendous. We’ve driven to Carson City many times and that trip is OK. When we got married, we drove to Fort Bragg for our honeymoon. Lovely area. We did a day trip a few months earlier to scope the area out and find a decent motel. The weather was great. By the time we got married, though, the weather had changed and it wasn’t as great. Also, I got car sick on the way over the second time. Eureka is probably my favorite place to go, although road construction always seems to be an issue. Beautiful area though.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles part 1

When I was little, my Aunt LoLita was my favorite person in the whole world. She and my uncle would travel a lot setting up grocery stores in the US and Europe. Sometimes when they would visit, my brother and I would get airline card decks and swizzle sticks. Whenever we were outside and saw a plane fly overhead, we would always wave and say “Hi, Aunt LoLita!”

When my mom, brother and I traveled from Kansas City to California where my dad had gotten work, we went by train. I was very young, maybe 4. My mom was busy with my baby brother and I had to sit by myself. The lady I was sitting next to took out a large chocolate bar and offered me some. *I had always been told I was allergic to chocolate, so I said no and explained why. At night I got up to go the bathroom and since everything was dark I had trouble trying to find my seat back. Someone on the aisle took my arm to guide me.

I’ve already written about driving from Kansas City to California to move my grandparents out to live with us. Several times when my brother and I were young, we would get in the car and drive a long ways (long to me, anyway) for vacation. We would stay in cheap motels with no TV. Boring as all get out for youngsters. My dad would make us drink prune juice in the mornings to keep us regular.

*Side note regarding the supposed chocolate allergy. When I was about 3 years old, my hands would break out a lot, get very sore, almost bleeding. At night my dad would apply some icky salve to all my fingers. I was told that it was because I was allergic to chocolate. I don’t remember when the “allergy” seemed to end, but at some point I wasn’t using the salve anymore and could eat chocolate. Many years later, my Aunt LoLita told me that it was all stress, in her opinion. Whenever I would spend a few days with her, she would put the tube of salve on top of the fridge and give me chocolate whenever I wanted and I had absolutely no ill effects. 

Be a Blood Donor!

Blood donors in Sweden receive a text when their blood is used. To encourage more young people to donate blood, Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden, sends a text to donors when their blood has been dispensed to someone in need. A common issue with blood donation, along with other types of charitable donations, is that if a donor doesn’t know the recipient, it’s harder to convince them that donating is beneficial. But with this system, which started in 2012, potential donors in Sweden have proof that their contribution is going to good use.

Pretty good idea. I used to donate blood on a regular basis until I started having lung issues, and I can’t do that anymore. I’m a universal donor, too: O-

I once asked how long donated blood lasts. 42 days. And your pint could help up to 3 people. If you’re in good health you can donate every 56 days.

Even if you’re not a universal donor, consider giving blood. Especially around the holidays. I meant to do this post before Christmas, but just didn’t get around to it. The initial needle poke is a very minor thing, at least it was for me. You just kick back in the recliner chair and listen to music and pump that little ball they put in your hand. Then you get snacks! And maybe a t-shirt! You meet a nice bunch of people too.

And you DO save lives…