I think that unless you want to just sit back and let these              extremist take over and kill innocent people then we need to do what ever is necessary to protect ourselves.

Does this mean that I think we should go to or stay in a war with these people? NO

Does this mean that I think Revelations in the Bible is coming to pass? We need to pray more? YES

Another thing that we can do while we are still here on this Earth is to protect ourselves here in the United States. What can we do here on our own soil? Since I work for the airlines, my mind immediately goes to my job. When I here about some obviously Devil overtaken soul is trying to light his own underwear on fire even after the parents tried to warn us and he was already on a do not fly list (government=idiots?), there had to be another step.

Currently some airports offer a backscatter X-ray, also known as the “naked X-ray”. I personally have a knee replacement so I have been through the X-ray and it is not a big deal. Can the one trained person sitting in another room who is the only one who can see the screen and does not even know who you are see a little more than you may be comfortable with for the whole 30 seconds the scan takes? Yes. Are you really so uptight that you would honestly care if it meant safer travel?

This person cannot see your face. They cannot see you name and social. They have no idea where you are traveling to. What they can see is if you have any metal on or in your body or anything that doesn’t look normal. Since I cannot seem to find the post that I wrote on this when news first broke, I have gone back and found the 60minutes report for you here.

Check it out and see for yourself. Although I love (add sarcasm here) the “free massage” that I get EVERY time I go through security that comes with the hassle of waiting for some lazy TSA woman to take her time and hassle me in front of my crew members and others alike (you know who you are), I would love the convenience and added security of getting these machines into all of the airports.

Debt:  a means of using future purchasing power in the present before a summation has been earned. (wikipedia)

I have been thinking for a year now (at the very least) that I have some real problems with money. I know that the story is not a new one. You get your paycheck and it’s gone before the next one comes. I believe they call this living paycheck to paycheck and I certainly do it. I am not quite sure what my problem is although I know that I have more debt than I have income. What that does is that you make the minimum payments on everything until you have absolutely no chance of ever getting out of debt. I even bought a program last year on Ebay to get myself out of debt. A year later after thinking about it on and off, it’s finally time to just get off my rear end and do it.

What brought me to this point and what makes me think that I will be able to really make it work this time? I have a 6 year old son that I want to put into a private school. I have step-children that I want to have a better chance at life when they graduate college and how can they do it if I can’t and I am the “adult” here. On top of this, I met a lovely woman that has no debt and lives just fine. And, I read a book called the Automatic Millionaire. Already stuff I kind of knew yet didn’t. Granted these folks started in their 20′s and I just turned 36 this month. I can still do it. They too have no debt, no credit cards (if I remember correctly).

Still, the biggest kick in the pants is that I found out that I have been paying over $800 a year in interest on a home equity loan that is now more than I borrowed at least 3 years ago. Sure am glad I bought that television on sale!

What’s next?

First, I wrote  down everything that I owe and the payments due each month. Check.

Then, since I do not make the same amount each month, I wrote down what I made for the last three months and divided by three. I think that’s the smartest thing to do and make a budget off of that. I know it doesn’t sound glamorous but until I can get my spending under control, I must do this.

Next, I have to find a program or someone that knows what percentage one should spend on each part of the pie, such as groceries, and find where I can cut expenses like Blockbuster monthly rentals….

I will continue to work on this and keep you up to date on how I do. Do you have any advise for me? What are your resolutions for 2010?

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Wow, where was I last week when I went to see the Nutcracker Ballet on opening night? I recently wrote that the “first scene was a little disappointing for me”. My memory must have let me down because the colors were not dull at all. The first curtain is interesting as the props made it seem like the dancers were inside the house. As soon as that curtain is lifted, the party was filled with splashes of color!

Last night the lead rolls were danced by Jill Marlow, as Marie, and Liang Fu, as the Nutcracker. I specifically went last night to see these two perform their first season as lead dancers in this special yearly production.

When I first visited Ms. Marlow at the Cincinnati Ballet, she had never danced the lead roll of Marie. I actually arrived on the second day of rehearsal. I thought that both Jill and Fu looked as if they had danced the roles before yet looked a little nervous. At rehearsal the next week the two were rehearsing alone with Mr. Carney and appeared even more skilled than the week before even though still very nervous. I would have never believed  that Jill was ever nervous after watching her dance last night.

She moved so eloquently with her long expressive arms during solo and partner dances and a childlike realism when playing with the others. Her expressions change as needed to portrait each scene as interpreted.

Fu danced with power and grace and gained cheers from the audience during his solo each time he launched into the air.

Each dancer was wonderful in their parts and even in sync with each better than opening night. I was sitting in the orchestra again however right in the middle this time. Of course I had my 6 year old son with me this time who did not sit as still as my Mother did! I think that he asked about 52 questions in the first 10 minutes and kept asking about the mouse. The fight between the mice and the soldiers was the only part of the ballet that he actually sat still through. Other parts of the production kept his interest in spurts like the Chinese Trainer and Mother Ginger of course.

Thank you to everyone who was involved with this years production of the Nutcracker. If you have not had the opportunity yet to take in a show, it runs until the 27th of December  and is a wonderful delight for all ages.

When I first moved up to Ohio from Florida, I wondered how I could like Ohio! No offense but I had no idea of what to expect. There are farms in Ohio and mountains (hills as I would soon learn). No beach and cold weather part of the time. I realize that there are farms in Florida, or at least cows, I had just never seen one up close until coming here. Since then, I have seen, touched and unfortunately smelled many animals at various events.

I have now lived in Cincinnati, Ohio for 12 years. Downtown for most of this time. We walk everywhere when we can and my son doesn’t even seem to mind it unless of course it’s snowing. We can walk to the park, the library, restaurants, even the ballet! Everything that one could need, you can get downtown.  The only problem is that most things used to close as soon as everyone that works Downtown goes home from work. I’ve noticed over the last couple of months that more and more businesses and restaurants are staying open later.

What about those who live here? So much emphasis is being placed on moving things downtown with renovations and new constructions however, I wonder if that’s enough. There is a new tattoo parlor that opened on Main Street… but how many people are going to get a tattoo? Hopefully  enough to keep him open since the African store that opened didn’t last that long. Nicola’s on Sycamore has been voted #2 this year and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere despite hearing that it’s a bit overpriced, probably due to the apparently amazing chef, Cristian Pietoso.

I have had the pleasure of attending the ballet a lot more that usual and love seeing the restaurants open quite late around the Aronoff Center. Other shops that seem to be staying open later are on Vine Street, which is an up and coming area with the Gateway Quarter. (View shops and restaurants here!) The motto of this area is Live, Shop, Play. I am still a bit concerned with the Kroger located just blocks from the area as well as what I call, “Little Vegas” across the street. The new construction and improvements are pushing down the street there so only time will tell.

Cincyusa.com writes about the expansive Duke Convention Center and the new Fountain Square Entertainment district. I personally stayed at a local downtown hotel with my Mom this past weekend (she’s allergic to my cat) and enjoyed seeing all of the buzz with a cheer leading and gymnastics competition going on at the convention center. What seemed like hundreds of sparkly haired little girls was not overshadowed by the beautiful attendees of a wedding or two. Shops and restaurants alike were open and full of shoppers and kiddies waiting to have their picture taken with Santa Claus. The ice rink had way too many skaters enjoying the ice for my comfort level even if I didn’t have a terrible headache.This is awesome though. Perhaps I can go sometime when I am both feeling better and it’s not so crowded since my skating abilities are not the best.

I hope that all of this excitement lasts long after the holiday season is done and gone. It’s not New York City and that’s fine with me but I would love to call this Cincinnati my home.

Last night was the opening night for The Nutcracker 2009 here in Cincinnati. I not only had the pleasure of seeing this performance for the first time live, I also had the opportunity to see it with my Mother. She has never been to the ballet so I thought it would be a wonderful Christmas present for the both of us to see it together. And, as expected, the choreography and the dancers hard work  did not disappoint.

Victoria looked beautiful and very proud to speak last night not only about the wonderful presentation of the Nutcracker that is always so well received and greatly anticipated but about some wonderful news that was announced a few days earlier. The orchestra is always a wonderful addition to each production and adds that much more without taking away from the beauty of the dancing. They have been trying to raise funds to keep their involvement with the ballet. On December 11th, it was reported that 98 year old Louis Nippert donated $85 million to the Arts, including the ballet and their orchestra. Thank you to this most gracious donor and fellow arts lover.

In last nights performance, the leads of Marie and The Nutcracker were played by Janessa Touchet and Cervilio Amador respectively. I, like my Mom have never actually seen the entire ballet and therefor honestly did not know exactly what was going on and yet the story pretty much told itself. We agreed that it was very well choreographed and that Mr. Devon Carney helped tell the story with his emotion and arm movements.

Mom and I  sat on the third floor balcony, where I admit that I was a bit afraid to walk down to my seat. Funny thing is that I am a flight attendant and yet terrified of heights! I found out though that it brings a whole new view that was quite exciting. The only thing that I was sad about is that I could not completely tell the faces of who was dancing that far away. What we were able to see is the formations of the dancers and the entire stage along with the orchestra, which was really nice. I enjoyed being able to see which instrument was making the more unusual sounds, which would drive me crazy more than leave something to the imagination. The other thing that I could see from that high unfortunately was the fact that it appeared that some of the dancers were not placed well. What I mean by that for example is when there were four dancer on stage, dancing in a circle , each dancer was not the same distance apart. Or, one dancer would be too far forward or back from the others and the timing was not always in synch. First of all, I wonder if I am being too overly critical, can the patrons on lower levels tell the difference and is this even something that matters. No matter where the dancers were on stage they looked amazing.

The set in the first scene was a little disappointing for me. The reason that I say this is because the colors were so muted and dull compared to last months production of Swan Lake. The curtain staged as a home in scene one with views through the windows was quite creative however, I suppose I just expected more of a pop of color like last month. Of course, speaking of a pop, the ingenious use of fireworks to show the magic used by Herr Drosselmeier certainly caught the audiences attention. With a surprised gasp, the excitement didn’t stop with just one bang yet the next was just as exciting as the first. I am still thinking about the items on stage like the bed that both flew through the air and floated effortlessly across the stage by itself.

It’s possible that some of the children  found the fight with the mice and their Mouse King to be the funniest as told by the laughter coming from the audience. It wasn’t until Act 2 when the color I was looking for danced onto the stage in the form of flowers and world dancers. Lovely shades of blue, yellow, orange and purple twirled so beautifully and enter the brilliant red rose. Yellow and black in the Spanish dancers. Sensuous elegance in the Arabian dancers. Some other things that the children loved were the Chinese Trainer and his dragon and Mother Ginger standing very tall with 8 little children all under “her” dress that come out one by one then two by two.

Overall, I am so glad that I was able to see this production and look forward to many years of working with the ballet. Don’t miss out on your chance to see this wonderful group of dancers. I for one cannot wait to go back on the 23rd to see my friend Jill dance her first season as the lead of Marie after all of her work of learning the part.

I would love to say that this is me but no, a picture that I found on  flickr.

I joked around on Twitter with my friends yesterday that I was going to the gym to try some of these poses that I saw in a magazine that I have.  I realized that I really need to work on my balance more and then strength. The couple of poses that I could do (and stay upright) caused a wonderful work out pain today.

Wonderful pain? Yes, I really did just say that. I consider that feeling as progress and amazing that a couple of “poses” using only my body could cause the same feeling that a few sets with weights may or may not cause. Maybe Madonna really does do “just” Yoga!?

What Yoga poses do you like? Especially for a beginner please…

I do not always post on hotels unless they are really bad, which this one is not. I am however, a little concerned about how they run some of the place. I am of course talking about the Crowne Plaza here at the airport in Detroit.

I have been pleasantly surprised that with such a big airport, the hotel van has been there waiting for us every time. No, this is not always a reality, although one would think so because we are crew and it’s supposed to “part of the contract”. Ha! The van drivers are very competent, strong enough to lift even the heaviest of crew bags so far and we haven’t had any near collisions en route to the hotel or airport like some other cities that I won’t name. LGA. Okay, couldn’t resist.

It’s also kind of fun that inside the van one will find bottles of water and a basket of tootsie rolls. I wonder, Are they made in Detroit? Nope. Chicago based actually and I just found out that they also make Junior Mints and Andes Mints. I love all 3.

The interior of the lobby area opens up into a large atrium where they offer free wi-fi and a large screen tv.  They offer a sports bar and a restaurant, an indoor pool and really decent workout room and different conference rooms for all types of events. The rooms are well laid out and comfortable. I am sitting at the large desk right now where there is more than enough room for my laptop, newspaper, and various other items that really don’t need to be on here but still fit. The pillows are okay, not the best or the worst but the bed is really nice.

Here’s where it gets a little crazy. I would love to have your opinions to think if I am thinking too much in to it. I am on the 11th floor, which is the concierge floor. I have stayed on other floors too yet somehow when I got my key last night, I expected a bit more. It has the same crappy coffee valet as the other floors and when I went to make coffee this morning, the coffee bin was dirty and the water was cloudy coming out of the faucet. I suppose this is why I usually use bottled water at hotels. But a dirty coffee maker on the concierge floor? Really? Maybe that’s why they offer them free breakfast in the Concierge Room in the morning. I simply used the bottled water that I got from the van, cleaned the filter myself and added the french vanilla creamers they leave.

I do have to say that the tub is the cleanest that I have ever seen in a hotel! I almost wanted to take a bath. I wonder if this is in the entire hotel or just the 11th floor? I cannot even find one black spot like in most hotels, even the really nice ones. There is also a nice bathrobe in the closet, possibly another perk of the 11th floor.

The television at this type of airport (and again on the concierge floor) leaves a lot to be desired. I suppose perhaps they think that guest will not be spending that much time in their room at the airport however, it’s an old box television that dates the otherwise nice room and the channel selection  is awful. My choices are local channels (I don’t need to watch the soaps or court shows), TBS, USA or HBO. They also have a golf channel and HLN that is talking about nothing but Tiger Woods. Double wammy. I suppose it really is a business hotel. Can’t a girl just get a little HGTV?!

So I’ve 14 hours stuck in a hotel because the weather is bad outside and I have been watching nothing but Tiger Woods Scandles, White House crashers and re-runs of King and Queens and Everybody Loves Raymond. Luckily, I did work out today and am writing this exciting piece of history.

All in all, I would recommend this hotel to someone who needs a place to crash before a flight or if perhaps it’s much cheaper than staying in the city and you plan on not hanging around too long. The staff alone makes the hotel great. Thanks guys!

What are your experiences at any hotels you have stayed at? Can you recommend a certain one in any city?

Have you ever been working on the computer and out of no where you’ve lost your connecting. I have been in cities (usually the airport or a coffee shop) where I have to reset the connection sometimes every 5 minutes. I never quite understood why and figured my computer is junk and I need a new one.

I was just informed by a co-worker that it may be the host rebooting the router. This also happens at hotels when I am traveling and I never thought of it like this. Sometimes at work I cannot get online (yes, I am allowed to be on the computer when I am on a break) because too many other people are already online and there is not enough bandwidth to hold another user. Never really knew what this bandwidth thing was either.

So, these providers will try and keep their guests from using too much at one time to allow others a chance. If someone is downloading a large file such as a movie or music, it may be hogging up all the provided amount available. Peer-to-peer, or p2p, file sharing is one such example and is where the user makes available part of their resources to others outside. Some  examples of p2p file sharing is Napster where Internet users pay to download songs. Others have been created and may be part of a centralized or decentralized model.

This does not sound like a problem unless the person is downloading major amounts of information using a lot of the networks bandwidth causing others a problem, such as at the hotel.

I just found out actually that when I am looking at the list of available wireless connections and see ‘AD HOC’, that this is a p2p also. I have never been able to use said Internet connection even if it shows connected but perhaps that’s for the best since I have no idea who I am sharing with.  What I do know is that if I am having problems staying connected, I should contact the host of that Internet to find out if there is a problem or perhaps I really do just need a new computer.

I wonder if I can down load Julie & Julia from a site like Amazon but I think that I will not attempt it at the hotel!