Humilation: Just a Click Away

October 12, 2006 By

My first real job after college was working as a publicist for a popular ski resort in Utah. One would think it was the perfect fit for an outdoor-loving gal such as myself: free skiing, gorgeous views from my office, freebies galore. I even dated two journalists I met whilst shmoozing them for Media Day on the slopes. After all, what better way to get press coverage than to date the press, y’know?

Overall, I’d say I did a great job (of working, not dating) and learned a lot. However, there were a few glitches along the way, one of which happened shortly after I started. One of my jobs as publicist was to send out a weekly press release detailing all the events at the resort. I had the entire corporation and several media outlets on my email list. Meaning: lots of people.

So, imagine how devastated I was when I made a grave error in one of my mailings. To this day, I have blocked out what the screw-up was but just know it was BIG. To rectify the situation, I immediately sent out another one with a correction. Or rather, an incorrection. I got it wrong the &*#*$ second time as well. By the third try, I was so humiliated I wanted to hide my head under a rock and not emerge until I saw my shadow. I mean, it works for that stupid Groundhog every spring, right?

You’d think I learned my lesson to be careful with the whole email thing but nooooo. My latest screw-up was last week. With Jamie’s new boss, Pam, of all people.

She sent an email to the various directors of the company inviting them to an Oktoberfest celebration on Tuesday night. Jamie, in turn, forwarded it to me so I could take note that he would be getting home late that evening.

In a perfect world and any email account other than my STUPID gmail account, when I pressed “reply,” it would send my response back to Jamie. Welp, not gmail. I wrote some snide/sarcastic comment about the big invite being from THE Pam and sent it off. Only to realize the second I pressed the “send” button that it had surpassed my dear husband was sitting in his new boss’s Inbox. Smooth.

That whole promotion thing? It was good while it lasted.

P.S. I won’t get into the sordid details, like how Jamie had to bribe her assistant to delete it off before Pam saw it. Just know if we see some changes in Jamie’s employment over these next weeks that I had nothing to do with it.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Uncategorized

Wordless Wednesday

October 11, 2006 By

As I prepare to throw my Second Annual Kiddies in Chaos Costume Celebration (a.k.a. Halloween Party), allow me to reflect upon last year’s memorable bash. With pictures, of course…

http://www.wedpagedesigns.com/party.asp

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Uncategorized

San Francisco: From Riches to Rags

October 10, 2006 By

Well, our riches to rags story is a sordid tale of our condescension from the Ritz to the Ramada. Normally, I wouldn’t deem this to be a bad thing, except for when it’s a blatant reminder of our station in life. I.e. Glamorous Ritz Carlton: company tab. Dumpy Downtown Ramada: our sad little dime. But I digress.

First, our San Francisco experience. I LOVE that city but it rained. And rained. And rained. It didn’t start out raining. It just waited until we were too far away from Said Dumpy Hotel to turn back. We were optimistic and believed the weather would clear because of the blue skies intermingled with storm clouds. Yeah, right. I guess in California, it still rains when the skies are blue. Who knew?

And so we walked. And walked. And walked. For hours and hours. And miles and miles. To Union Square, China Town, random neighborhoods with near-naked homeless guys and finally, Fisherman’s Wharf. And it rained and rained and rained. Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t all bad. Bode made a friend.

And despite the deluge, we kept our spirits up and just enjoyed being drenched as a family. We also had an amazing lunch at a shamelessly touristy restaurant in Fisherman’s Wharf with stellar views as Blue Angels dipped over the Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge.

And the weather did finally clear. Of course, we were on our way to the airport.

But back to Said Dumpy Hotel. It was quite a miserable experience, notwithstanding the stellar view.

Oh wait. Wrong day. This was more like it:

Yippee. It was possibly the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed in. Maybe it was the lights that didn’t work most of the time. Or the shoebox room with only one foot of maneuverability. Or the sticky bathroom floor. Or the lack of elevator for our second-story room. Or the television with crappy reception. Oh, and don’t ask about the pancakes…err…pillows.

Suffice it to say, it wasn’t our most memorable night of sleep. But imagine our delight when leaving the next day and we spotted this sign we had missed on the way in.

Next time around? I think I’ll just mortgage my house and stay at the Ritz.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Bode, Family, Family travel, Humor, Jamie, travel

Putting on The Ritz

October 8, 2006 By

So, Jamie, Bode and I survived our big California adventure. Both of my boys were a dream and made me fall in love with them even more. Especially the little one. At least he didn’t ditch me to go golfing with the good old boys.

Of course, the pampering at The Ritz Carlton definitely helped. As we drove up to the breathtaking grounds, I hestitatingly asked Jamie “How much do you tip at a place like this?”

His response was indicative of cheap buggers everywhere: “Whatever you do, avoid everyone at all costs.” No pun intended.

Our room was, welp, let’s just say one night at the Ritz cost as much as our entire week-long cruise we’re taking next year. We stayed in a garden-level room with our own private deck and firepit.
Upon arrival, we went for a brief walk along the cliffside to smell the ocean. And money. As we meandered back we eavesdropped on a cigar-smoking group of millionaires hob-nobbing around a firepit: “Yeah, when we were down at Pebble Beach, we cruised around in our $120,000 Mercedes. Blah, blah, blah.” We believed him, too. When waiting for the [$40] valet, our PT Cruiser rental was the only vehicle worth under $50,000.

Bode slept marvelously in his luxury Ritz baby crib, only waking up a couple of times to eat and then sleeping in until 9 a.m. I had been such a sleep-deprived wreck that getting my eight hours almost made me make out with the little guy in gratitude over it all. Jamie ended up reaping the rewards. I think he’s finally cluing in that it doesn’t take illustrious vacations or 1,000-thread-count sheets (though they certainly help). Just get me some freaking sleep!

While Jamie was in meetings the next day, Bode and I found a coastal trail and walked for miles along the cliffside. That afternoon, we hit downtown Half Moon Bay and then hung out on the beach together. He had a great time and was a very amiable travel companion, though he did say he always thought his first trip to the beach would involve a bit more skin.
As for Jamie, he had his first exposure to The Big Boys on the Block. You know: the VIPs of Yahoo, eBay, Amazon, Microsoft, etc. Jamie even had one of them retrieve his golf ball. I couldn’t have been more proud.

Several hours and calls from uptight golf widows later, The Boys called it a day. Or maybe it was the rain that did that. Regardless, I started to get an idea of the life these widows lead. Which is why when Jamie’s golf clubs never showed up at baggage claim after our trip, I oh-so-briefly considered tipping the United worker to have them “mysteriously” stay missing.

But then I remembered our tipping policy. Or lack thereof. I just hate it when being a cheap bugger comes back to bite you….

Next edition: From Riches to Rags. Our Condescension to San Francisco….

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Family, Family travel, Humor, travel

We’re outta here!

October 3, 2006 By
The Makings of a Romanic Getaway?

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+

=

Hmmmm….

Oh well. Two out of three ain’t bad. :-)

P.S. #3 is sick. Was up with him all night.
P.P.S. Rain is forecast this week. In sunny California. Thanks, Murphy.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Uncategorized

Computer Woes

October 3, 2006 By

To all those computer-savvy folks out there:

I’ve been having problems with my site since I had it designed and switched to Blogger. The problem is specifically with Internet Explorer; it crashes every time. I’ve had folks tell me the same thing when they attempt to access or leave comments on my site. In order to even access my site, I have to use Firefox.

My graphic designer thought it was due to .png file types that conflict with IE 6 and she switched everything over to .gif, which didn’t work. She thinks there may be bugs in the browser but hasn’t been able to figure it out.

Any ideas/recommendations from anyone who’s had similar problems?

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Uncategorized

And so it begins

October 2, 2006 By

What a great weekend! The weather was superb and we spent oodles of time picnicking and hiking through Colorado’s resplendent backcountry.

Another highlight was attending church from home. Huh? Twice a year, we have a big ol’ General Conference where LDS church authorities speak in several sessions that are broadcast via satellite. I love the inspirational talks but admittedly the true highlights for me are rolling outta bed and watching in my PJs. Oh, and taking a catnap during the final session. The only bummer is Jamie’s own snoring is rather disruptive. Yep, Model Mormons are we.

As for updates, Jamie got it. The promotion, that is. They extended the offer on Friday and the real fun begins on Monday. Well, not really. As Jamie mentioned on his blog, the chaos will be delayed since I conveniently invited myself along on his business trip to California this week. Nice of me, right?

You can’t blame me, really. When I was a pregnant Beluga Whale, he had a business trip to a beach-side resort in Florida and he left me here alone with the Hurricane. That was his first mistake. His second mistake was raving about how family-friendly the resort was and how much we would have loooooved it.

And so when he mentioned his latest conference at the Ritz Carlton, I don’t think he finished his sentence before I was on the phone asking Grandma to take Haddie for a few days and then booking my flight.

Of course, Jamie will be occupied with demanding meetings [on the golf course] but I’ve got plenty to keep me busy with my back-up man, Bode. I.e. sippin’ virgin pina coladas together, taking walks along the beach with him nuzzled against my chest, those memorable all-nighters. Ahhhhh, there’s nothin’ like California lovin’….

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Uncategorized
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