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Last Edit April 16, 1999 We are back from Sea World and have resumed operations at Red Lobster.We have targeted Amanda - she has us tonight. Poor girl. She says she had hopes that we were just a figment of her imagination. Nope. Stuck with us. I have survived sea lion snot on my son's new Sea World hat (got him from across a moat yet and yes, I had to replace the hat. Or, rather, Sea World did. I spent 2 hours with a somewhat disgruntled 17 year old.) He liked the hat. That's why it's on the floor of his room. I have survived a vision of wonder - an aroused walrus. I don't think the older woman standing next to me will ever recover, however. She was bug-eyed. So was my son the second day ( the walrus was still in that condition. My son actually inadvertently got a photo.). You are greeted by this as you get off the Wild Arctic ride. Good name for it. The sea lion show was great - even the humans were very good. But I love the sea otter. He steals the show every time. Even when he isn't doing what he is supposed to do. They even do a take-off with him on the Taco Bell ad. My older son in earlier days was a holy terror at these shows. He was called on as a pre-show volunteer and then they couldn't get him to stop. Another time they had him come on stage with the Dolphins and told him he was going to swim with them. Most children shrink back in fear and they then tell them they were kidding, they just get to pet one. My son had his shoes off and was going for it. They had to restrain him! Most kids would have been afraid. Not mine. Oh no. I have the adventurous ones. This trip I put my son in charge of times and events. Instead of me dragging them from place to place and watching time, etc., I let him lead. And he did - dragged me all over the park for two days straight. No night time dinner in a harbor restaurant - no sightseeing - try coma in the hotel. We did Shamu twice and dined with Shamu (awesome) saw the Clydesdales, the penguin encounter lecture, the manatee (twice), got me a size M tee-shirt, saw the sea lions three times, the dolphins, petted rays, photographed the puffins (I got a stuffed one. My favorite sign - "Molting puffins appear bedraggled" - I love them.), ran in and out of aquariums (that I had seen many times with small children on tow - often in Cub Scout uniforms). We watched the harbor seals and rescued sea lions, we saw polar bears (new) and beluga whales (new) and read about the new ride opening at the end of May. I guess we will be back again sometime - I need to be wet, bedraggled and hoarse from screaming my head off or the ride does not get my son's approval. Maybe Fabio should open this ride. Maybe not. Sea World has aggressive sea gulls. And a predator hawk in the bird show that "once in a while decides that it just has to have a pigeon." One of their young hawks in training, being trained to dive from a raised balloon, got confused when the wind blew the balloon around backwards. Seems they don't look when they are first learning, just dive. Now, these birds are FAST. And a fast-diving hawk that isn't looking where it's going... got a sea gull. It was so confused it was delighted to see the trainer running up with the familiar glove. Down one sea gull. Actually, the sea gulls have learned that, when the balloon is up, hawks fly. And they stay away. Clever birds. I have stepped on a pigeon at Sea World. They are not clever. I've been smacked in the head by an aggressive sea gull after the fish I was feeding a whale. Dive bombers. Tonight, safe and sound at Red Lobster, we are having crab legs again because the mall lost power so Dan got away. He stays in touch thru dinner with a cell phone. We would be 7 but one pair got derailed by Bart so we are 5 at a table big enough for 10. Floating sugar substitutes skate about the table. I muse that we were just watching sea creatures in tanks. Now we are eating them. Amanda is fast - service is rush in and out - minimum time - but she does keep the crab flowing. My son does request if she's doing anything May 29th. (She has a boyfriend.) I am shocked. My son is not shy after all...... The conversation (once the walrus is discussed) is centered on Cindy's wedding. She is now engaged. After 7 years. And will get married in 2-3 years. Pocket dragons and purple and green colors have been chosen. I have my Mahi-Mahi and shrimp and salad. The men are complaining - without zip tools the women give the men the claws. So they are filling up faster. Can't break records that way. My son even pauses for a potato. My goodness - he actually allows potato that wasn't fried and smothered in Cajun seasoning to touch his lips! More crab platters arrive and we launch cameras. It's what happens when we are down to 2 crab eaters. The rest get restless. I am sleepy. I am ready for a rest. I walked at work today. One hour at lunch. First time in a long, long while. Keep it up. Let the clothes fall off. Floating tents. Ignore the comments. (I am top heavy with a waist - I get stared at.) Get back in muscle tone. Lose that last 15-20 pounds. Down to 155 from 195. Plataued. Need the exercise. After walking 7-9 hours per day for two days - I need to walk or my legs will freeze up. And maybe I can get all the way back on the diet - too much junk food in the house. Hard to focus. Only problem, when I walk, I mentally write. Novels. In my head. "Three of a Kind" is the latest regency. Nagging me. And work is piling up. I have to help launch a 5-day seminar workshop . And maintain the web site inside Synopsys - never mind the web site my stories and my books and Fabio's fan club reside on. The Fabio site should settle back down now we know he's OK. I decide I need bed. Sleep. Recovery. I'm entering that second day after exertion trauma phase. We get a customer survey receipt - with an 800 number to call. Dan whips out his cell phone. Oh good grief! My son gets free desert next time. Like he needs this. If he eats chocolate...... Of course, waiting in the mailbox is the scourge of modern civilization. They want me for jury duty.....And they may finally get me this time. They just don't realize what they are asking for. |
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