I know, it's not about boxing OR my trip to Oregon (still forthcoming), but it's important! :-)
I'm reading stuff about the photo the Spanish team did about the Chinese (the one where they do the slanted eyes thing) and I'm finding more and more people that don't understand the offense, here. So, let's put this whole "ethnic joke" thing into perspective, shall we?
Try putting yourselves in the Chinese players shoes for a moment. Picture how you've felt in school when someone made you feel stupid or look stupid, all the while laughing at you and getting others to join in. Picture the times that you've tried to fit in and felt out of place. Picture ANY time at ALL when all you wanted to do was blend in with others and not have someone point out how much you are NOT like them. This is how intelligent people of other races feel every time someone does another slanty eye joke, another ebonics joke or any other joke that makes their people look foolish.
I think the reason why many people are confused is because they can't fathom how a joke like that affects those people or reflects on those people, regardless of the intent. There seems to be a consensus in America that it's acceptable to make fun of another culture if you:
A) "don't mean anything by it" or say you're just joking (as in the Spanish photo
B) have done it long enough that it's okay to you or would take too much effort on your part to change (Ex--keeping the name Squaw in names of places or keeping offensive Native American images like the Cleveland Indians because so many people have a history with those things)
C) know a person or persons from that culture who will laugh with you or use the same words to make fun of a culture, which gives you license to do so (ex--"Well, my black friend says the "n" word, so I should be able to!" or "I know a ton of Chinese guys and THEY didn't mind!")
All of these are really just excuses to belittle someone else and make them feel like I mentioned above. Think about what you'd do if these guys had pretended to act like a person with mental disabilities or handicaps...we'd ALL be up in arms because it's considered rude. There is NO difference at ALL in making fun of another race or culture.
If you can take anything from this, remember this...just because a LOT of people have done it all their lives or think it's acceptable does NOT MAKE IT SO. After all, lots of folks liked slavery and backed the Holocaust...didn't make them RIGHT. And even if it's a joke to you (or you wouldn't MIND that same joke done on you), it's not always funny to the person who has to show people that they are SO MUCH MORE more than just differently shaped eyes, darker skin or a different accent.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Sprite's Big Oregon Adventure (at last!)
Well, I was so busy in Oregon that I never had a free moment to actually recap the trip. Frankly, I'm still physically off my time zone game (Ex---woke up today at 9 am, but went to BED at 4:30 am!), so I'm still trying to REMEMBER the blur that was the trip. So, let me at least comment on the letterboxing parts. First, the Spritely Ice Cream Social highlights (you can read my original post on this at AQ here):
1. I got into a van with women I did not know because they waved happily at me (which will force me to question EVERYTHING I KNOW about "stranger danger".
2. I arrived, only to find out that this Sprite chick was some kind of princess who made people wait in line to exchange with her, but for some reason, the Portland people think she's cool (no accounting for taste, I guess).
3. I did not shut up the whole time I was there.
4. I put Maiden on the phone so she could make fun of the highlander for the Batlander stamp, thus ensuring his participation in the festivities.
5. I did not shut up the whole time I was there.
6. I brought my stamp, which I used continuously from the moment I arrived until about 20 minutes before I left.
7. Seriously, I did NOT SHUT UP the whole time I was there.
8. I do not recall seeing ice cream, for my ink and stamp were my sustenance (plus two bites of brownie).
9. Also, I talked a lot.
10. I met many folks who were really cool whose names were...(blanks out)
11. I promised to go to the ocean and box with people, only to end up too busy to call them and make further commitment to said trip. I hope to go boxing this Sunday with Dem XX Men
12. I stayed up late and slackboxed with Buppsters & Marmalade, since I left my clues at home.
13. I ate a Scotch egg with hard cider (thanks to Bups and Marm for contributing to my delinquency).
14. I talked a HELL of a lot more!
15. I gave money to a bum who is supposed to be opening for the Black Crowes at their next concert.
16. I saw a 24 square inch park, and got the !@#$ scared out of me by a giant copper babe with a triton (Portlandia, you sly minx!)
17. I got drowsy and talked slightly less.
18. I got back to the hotel sometime around 1 am and CRASHED.
1. I got into a van with women I did not know because they waved happily at me (which will force me to question EVERYTHING I KNOW about "stranger danger".
2. I arrived, only to find out that this Sprite chick was some kind of princess who made people wait in line to exchange with her, but for some reason, the Portland people think she's cool (no accounting for taste, I guess).
3. I did not shut up the whole time I was there.
4. I put Maiden on the phone so she could make fun of the highlander for the Batlander stamp, thus ensuring his participation in the festivities.
5. I did not shut up the whole time I was there.
6. I brought my stamp, which I used continuously from the moment I arrived until about 20 minutes before I left.
7. Seriously, I did NOT SHUT UP the whole time I was there.
8. I do not recall seeing ice cream, for my ink and stamp were my sustenance (plus two bites of brownie).
9. Also, I talked a lot.
10. I met many folks who were really cool whose names were...(blanks out)
11. I promised to go to the ocean and box with people, only to end up too busy to call them and make further commitment to said trip. I hope to go boxing this Sunday with Dem XX Men
12. I stayed up late and slackboxed with Buppsters & Marmalade, since I left my clues at home.
13. I ate a Scotch egg with hard cider (thanks to Bups and Marm for contributing to my delinquency).
14. I talked a HELL of a lot more!
15. I gave money to a bum who is supposed to be opening for the Black Crowes at their next concert.
16. I saw a 24 square inch park, and got the !@#$ scared out of me by a giant copper babe with a triton (Portlandia, you sly minx!)
17. I got drowsy and talked slightly less.
18. I got back to the hotel sometime around 1 am and CRASHED.
The Highlander's new blog!
Finally, he's computer savvy!
The Highlander finally got tired of writing long e-mails and decided to create a blog of his own. He's an amazing writer in his own right with insights that crack us all up (when we have time to read them)! So, without further ado: http://whineratthegatesofdawn.blogspot.com/
Enjoy!
The (now able to clear her inbox without guilt) Sprite & the (finally able to reduce his e-mails to less than a novella) Highlander
The Highlander finally got tired of writing long e-mails and decided to create a blog of his own. He's an amazing writer in his own right with insights that crack us all up (when we have time to read them)! So, without further ado: http://whineratthegatesofdawn.blogspot.com/
Enjoy!
The (now able to clear her inbox without guilt) Sprite & the (finally able to reduce his e-mails to less than a novella) Highlander
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Summer boxing news!
Greeting from Summer Busy-ness Central! :-) The Highlander and I have been working summer school like crazy, so this is my first Friday off to start updating the info on our 6th Annual WNY event!
If you haven't signed up yet for the annual WNY event (http://www.atlasquest.com/events/event.html?gEventId=468), you HAVE to do this...because only the COOL kids are coming. And you WANNA be a cool kid, right? Peer pressure is a game EVERYONE can play! ;-) And you can tell your mom that we won't be smoking or doing drugs, but we WILL be SERIOUSLY high on boxes. We will also be staying overnight at the county park(check here for that event: http://www.atlasquest.com/events/event.html?gEventId=787) and NOT calling to let people know where we are, so your mom MIGHT get worried sick and call the police...
Okay, seriously, the night event IS going to be VERY cool! Talking Turtle is sending us the night boxes she had from Fear Faketor, so we get to have THOSE for the night boxing on Saturday, plus we MIGHT put them out early for the camping folks on Friday. As a matter of fact...we might ONLY put them out for the camping people (ooo, incentive to do that night event!!!) We'll keep you updated as to our level of pure evil! ;-) I should also have the website up soon, which will be here: http://thesprite.orgfree.com/letterboxing/gathering5.htm Those of you that are Johnny-on-the-spot with my blogs, give it until the end of tonight before it shows up!
Finally, we jump a little ahead to early fall (and a week before MY birthday...yay)! Unless I'm missing a trailname from the states, it looks like the Highlander and I are the only Americans hitting Box ON (in Guelph, Ontario, just two hours from Niagara Falls: http://www.atlasquest.com/events/event.html?gEventId=706). Anyone else checked this out yet? If you're new and hadn't thought about going...GO! It's not far away and it's a chance to box in another country with Canada's nicest folks! Plus, they come visit us all the TIME (heck, Jiggs practically LIVES here!) We GOTTA return the favor!
Hope to see MANY of you in our area this summer...if not, hope your events are gonna be as cool as ours will be!
The (cool kid because she SAYS so) Sprite & the (cool kid when the AC is on) Highlander
If you haven't signed up yet for the annual WNY event (http://www.atlasquest.com/events/event.html?gEventId=468), you HAVE to do this...because only the COOL kids are coming. And you WANNA be a cool kid, right? Peer pressure is a game EVERYONE can play! ;-) And you can tell your mom that we won't be smoking or doing drugs, but we WILL be SERIOUSLY high on boxes. We will also be staying overnight at the county park(check here for that event: http://www.atlasquest.com/events/event.html?gEventId=787) and NOT calling to let people know where we are, so your mom MIGHT get worried sick and call the police...
Okay, seriously, the night event IS going to be VERY cool! Talking Turtle is sending us the night boxes she had from Fear Faketor, so we get to have THOSE for the night boxing on Saturday, plus we MIGHT put them out early for the camping folks on Friday. As a matter of fact...we might ONLY put them out for the camping people (ooo, incentive to do that night event!!!) We'll keep you updated as to our level of pure evil! ;-) I should also have the website up soon, which will be here: http://thesprite.orgfree.com/letterboxing/gathering5.htm Those of you that are Johnny-on-the-spot with my blogs, give it until the end of tonight before it shows up!
Finally, we jump a little ahead to early fall (and a week before MY birthday...yay)! Unless I'm missing a trailname from the states, it looks like the Highlander and I are the only Americans hitting Box ON (in Guelph, Ontario, just two hours from Niagara Falls: http://www.atlasquest.com/events/event.html?gEventId=706). Anyone else checked this out yet? If you're new and hadn't thought about going...GO! It's not far away and it's a chance to box in another country with Canada's nicest folks! Plus, they come visit us all the TIME (heck, Jiggs practically LIVES here!) We GOTTA return the favor!
Hope to see MANY of you in our area this summer...if not, hope your events are gonna be as cool as ours will be!
The (cool kid because she SAYS so) Sprite & the (cool kid when the AC is on) Highlander
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Rendezvous at the Ridge Really Rocked (right?)
Okay, all alliteration aside (okay, all aside after THAT last bit!), Chadams and Lady Lilac were once again the most gracious of hosts! :-) They carved a beautiful event stamp and walked people all around for stamps they already had or had personally created (pretty impressive to do when you think they did all that walking and I don't think they got a SINGLE stamp for themselves!). They were just as helpful with the groups that went off on their own, giving directions precise directions so no one got lost. I was sans Highlander, but had a Dancer RP (one of my students) as a bonus rider, so I was grateful for anything that could get us right to the boxes without her getting disappointed. We hiked like CRAZY, but got tons of great stamps, which is exactly what Chestnut Ridge is all about. Plus, the Highlander (who couldn't make it because of his neck pain) stayed in contact via text messages and had Chadams believing I was somehow mentally linked to AQ by logging finds for me while I was still on the trail! LOL
Also, I was REALLY happy to meet some of our neighbors to the north...Canadians rule! :-) Fiddleheads turned out to be a fellow D & D geek and picked up out Sword of Omens PT, all the while blowing sunshine up my ego about my funny stories (including the ones about voyeuristic gophers...very concerned about the lack of proper entertainment up Canada way...!) :-) Plus, the 4 Sailors and LAndmark Leapsters we're just some of the nice folks you could hope to meet. Hopefully, we'll be joining them in September for Box ON in Guelph and we can trick...er, convince them to come back down for the WNY event in August.
Anyway, for those of you who missed it, you REALLY missed it, so...don't miss it again! If Chadams and/or Lady Lilac says they're throwing a boxing event (heck, if they say they're throwing a FIT), you GET here and destroy all those who get in your way (won't THAT be FUN?!)
The (glad to be back boxing again for the first time since 2007) Sprite & the (looking forward to next time) Highlander
Also, I was REALLY happy to meet some of our neighbors to the north...Canadians rule! :-) Fiddleheads turned out to be a fellow D & D geek and picked up out Sword of Omens PT, all the while blowing sunshine up my ego about my funny stories (including the ones about voyeuristic gophers...very concerned about the lack of proper entertainment up Canada way...!) :-) Plus, the 4 Sailors and LAndmark Leapsters we're just some of the nice folks you could hope to meet. Hopefully, we'll be joining them in September for Box ON in Guelph and we can trick...er, convince them to come back down for the WNY event in August.
Anyway, for those of you who missed it, you REALLY missed it, so...don't miss it again! If Chadams and/or Lady Lilac says they're throwing a boxing event (heck, if they say they're throwing a FIT), you GET here and destroy all those who get in your way (won't THAT be FUN?!)
The (glad to be back boxing again for the first time since 2007) Sprite & the (looking forward to next time) Highlander
Sunday, June 01, 2008
6th Annual WNY Gathering (first major bulletin of 2008!)
Just letting folks know that the Western New York Annual gathering is all set for the weekend of August 22-24. There will be a regular Saturday day event, some night boxing that evening and, for those wanting to have some REAL fun, a camping event that will begin Friday and end Sunday. All this will be at the SAME park...Sprague Brook County Park in Glenwood, NY, just south of Buffalo. The theme is movies, so be ready to see some amazing images from the silver screen!
If you plan to join us during the day for LBWNY's Saturday at the Movies, you can sign up here: http://www.atlasquest.com/events/event.html?gEventId=468
If you plan to stay for the weekend for LBWNY's Movie Double Feature, you need to ALSO sign up here so we can let you know where to reserve your tent or RV site: http://www.atlasquest.com/events/event.html?gEventId=787
We always get folks from all over the country (Trekkie Gal, Eidolon, Artemis, Mysterious...OTHER GUY that's HIKING A LOT NOW, I'm talking to YOU!), so this is a weekend you don't want to miss! I'll be creating the official website once school is out and am taking box donations dealing with the silver screen from anyone who doesn't mind the box plant being permanent (I'll also take any TES's folks want to bring or send)! Hope to see you all there!
The (getting ready for on last month of school) Sprite & the (getting ready to be bossed around for the entire month of August) Highlander
If you plan to join us during the day for LBWNY's Saturday at the Movies, you can sign up here: http://www.atlasquest.com/events/event.html?gEventId=468
If you plan to stay for the weekend for LBWNY's Movie Double Feature, you need to ALSO sign up here so we can let you know where to reserve your tent or RV site: http://www.atlasquest.com/events/event.html?gEventId=787
We always get folks from all over the country (Trekkie Gal, Eidolon, Artemis, Mysterious...OTHER GUY that's HIKING A LOT NOW, I'm talking to YOU!), so this is a weekend you don't want to miss! I'll be creating the official website once school is out and am taking box donations dealing with the silver screen from anyone who doesn't mind the box plant being permanent (I'll also take any TES's folks want to bring or send)! Hope to see you all there!
The (getting ready for on last month of school) Sprite & the (getting ready to be bossed around for the entire month of August) Highlander
Friday, April 25, 2008
First bats, now a stake through the...palm?
Well, medical fate strikes again. Not long after my last post tonight, I went back to cutting open tennis balls to put on the legs of my kids' chairs at school. Now, I know what you're saying...the Sprite is BRILLIANT! What amazing judgment she must have to think that cutting tennis balls open with a box cutter when NBC is running their Thursday night lineup is a GREAT plan! And you are RIGHT! I AM brilliant...if you expand your definition of brilliant to include "people dumb enough to stab themselves in the palm after being told by no less than 5 people on separate occasions that it would happen". If that's what passes for brilliant, then I'm a certified MENSA candidate.
Almost 2 and a half hours after the blood started spurting and I'm now sporting 4 stitches. I'm also required to go get a tetanus shot within the next three days (which means tomorrow with the show going all weekend), since they were out of them tonight. Yay smart people like me!!!
The (feeling a bit less than herself...hur hur) Sprite & the (unable to contain the backload of sheer "I-TOLD-you-so"ation) Highlander
Almost 2 and a half hours after the blood started spurting and I'm now sporting 4 stitches. I'm also required to go get a tetanus shot within the next three days (which means tomorrow with the show going all weekend), since they were out of them tonight. Yay smart people like me!!!
The (feeling a bit less than herself...hur hur) Sprite & the (unable to contain the backload of sheer "I-TOLD-you-so"ation) Highlander
Friday, April 18, 2008
Buffalo Comedy Sportz Improv-a-thon!
Okay, it's NOT letterboxing, but it's MY blog! :-)
If you are going to be in the Buffalo area between April 26th-27th, come see me (the Sprite) play in a 29-1/2 hour improv show with Buffalo Comedy Sportz (my first time with the troupe)! There will be food and drinks, prizes, and even a Chinese auction! All the proceeds will be used to send my team to the 2008 Comedy Sportz World Championship in Portland, Oregon this summer.
Also, I need pledges...the more I get, the more decent time slot I get to play in! You can pledge me per hour or just give me all your money (and I mean all of it). Email me offlist for details.
So to recap:
WHAT: Comedy Sportz Improv-a-thon
WHERE: The Riviera Theatre, 67 Webster St, North Tonawanda
WHEN: April 26th at 4:00pm-April 27th 9:30 pm
WHO: Me and the other members of Buffalo's Comedy Sportz and YOU, our loyal fans
WHY: To send us to the Comedy Sportz World Championship in Portland, OR
AND: Give me money and get a genuine thank you!
PLUS: Chinese auction, yummy foods, drinks for the whole family, and prizes!
And remember, even if you don't live in Buffalo, you can still give me money and get that genuine thank you over the internet. ;-)
For more info, check the Facebook event here:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=10924904118
or the My Space Event here:
http://events.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.detail&eventID=420517.82916&Mytoken=EB484BEB-2FA1-4B7A-AD9A11A9C775BCB414263861
If you are going to be in the Buffalo area between April 26th-27th, come see me (the Sprite) play in a 29-1/2 hour improv show with Buffalo Comedy Sportz (my first time with the troupe)! There will be food and drinks, prizes, and even a Chinese auction! All the proceeds will be used to send my team to the 2008 Comedy Sportz World Championship in Portland, Oregon this summer.
Also, I need pledges...the more I get, the more decent time slot I get to play in! You can pledge me per hour or just give me all your money (and I mean all of it). Email me offlist for details.
So to recap:
WHAT: Comedy Sportz Improv-a-thon
WHERE: The Riviera Theatre, 67 Webster St, North Tonawanda
WHEN: April 26th at 4:00pm-April 27th 9:30 pm
WHO: Me and the other members of Buffalo's Comedy Sportz and YOU, our loyal fans
WHY: To send us to the Comedy Sportz World Championship in Portland, OR
AND: Give me money and get a genuine thank you!
PLUS: Chinese auction, yummy foods, drinks for the whole family, and prizes!
And remember, even if you don't live in Buffalo, you can still give me money and get that genuine thank you over the internet. ;-)
For more info, check the Facebook event here:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=10924904118
or the My Space Event here:
http://events.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.detail&eventID=420517.82916&Mytoken=EB484BEB-2FA1-4B7A-AD9A11A9C775BCB414263861
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Virtual Break!
Woo hoo! I solved this virtual on AQ and got THIS:
All hail my apparent boxing coolness! :-D
The (trying to figure out what to do NEXT with her midwinter break) Sprite & the (sleeping his away under the influence of painkillers...poor ol') Highlander
All hail my apparent boxing coolness! :-D
The (trying to figure out what to do NEXT with her midwinter break) Sprite & the (sleeping his away under the influence of painkillers...poor ol') Highlander
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Cars, kids and other comedy sports!
I know it's been a while in between posts, but in my defense, CQ was over here with Kitten and Falling Leaves and they were all...CQing and Kittening and Falling around, so we couldn't concentrate...so...yeah...! Also, if you read my other blog, this is only KIND of a crosspost. I updated some stuff and added in some boxing news.
Anyway, it's been a crazy couple of days, the worst of which came last Thursday. I'm just gonna preface this by saying "No sprites, Highlanders or teenagers were harmed in the making of this incident!"
The Highlander and I were in a car accident Thursday night. We hit two teenagers that we know through their families at school (I actually do an afterschool reading team with the mom of the passenger and had the little sister of the driver in my GT class). We were coming down the main road going home and the driver turned in front of us to make a left on our green light. When he saw us, he put his brakes on, so they slowed down instead of speeding out of the way. We slammed our brakes and tried to avoid them, but there was no way to go but into their car.
Even now, it's like a bad dream where things NEARLY happen, but nothing quite comes of it. There were emergency vehicles everywhere and lots of broken car parts, but no hurt people...even the kids were fine. Our airbags didn't deploy, but the seatbelts were enough. I had this horrible moment where I thought the Highlander was injured, and another when I thought we'd hurt the two kids, but none of that came to pass. Our car was totaled, so a sheriff had to drive us home, but the rental people got us another car yesterday. And even though we had initial worries about this being a huge problem (two teachers hit local teens, or local kids fight insurance claim), the family accepted full responsibility and all our needs will be paid for. Heck, while visiting the doctor yesterday, we found out our favorite nurse hates her green 1995 Subaru Legacy (the EXACT car we totaled!) and would LOVE to trade it for our gas guzzling GMC Sierra that we've had off the road for months!
I guess the only piece of this that makes this real is that yesterday, we were both home and safe on a school day without some sort of debilitating illness being involved (you guys KNOW what I'm talking about!). We slept in and rested pretty well, so all we have is stiffness and my tongue being sore from biting it. I actually had a UTI that I should have stayed home from work on Friday for (and wasn't going to), and the Highlander (who's a sub and part time at a lab) has had no paid days off since...um, last year at this time when he was still considered full time at the lab! If not for the car being totaled, both of us would have been stretched thin at work and come home exhausted. Had it even been just a fender bender, we'd have had to handle all the insurance stuff while TRYING to work.
This whole episode has become a weird blessing in disguise, I guess. Sure, the Highlander's neck is in bad shape currently, but still...it's the kind of day where you should hug the ones you love, call the ones you miss and thank God that you've got your health.
In less "holy !@#$" kind of news, I auditioned for Comedy Sportz in Buffalo and made it in! I haven't gotten to do much improv outside of my normal classroom goofiness lately (plus I've forgotten what a pain it was to drive into town and do late night shows...oh, wait...). Okay, STILL, I'm gonna do it. The minute they start letting me do shows, I'll be sure to let you guys know and make a Comedy Sportz stamp to commemorate it all. :-)
Also, as Odyssey of the Mind in New York State draws ever nearer, I find that I might be in Binghamton with one or more of the Lockport teams on March 28-30. If anyone wants to meet up and exchange, contact me after March 8th. I'll know for sure whether I'm going or not by then.
Until then, keep your cars on the road, your odysseys in mind and a bit more comedy in your sports!
The (glad to be still alive, using our brains and FUNNY) Sprite & the Highlander
Anyway, it's been a crazy couple of days, the worst of which came last Thursday. I'm just gonna preface this by saying "No sprites, Highlanders or teenagers were harmed in the making of this incident!"
The Highlander and I were in a car accident Thursday night. We hit two teenagers that we know through their families at school (I actually do an afterschool reading team with the mom of the passenger and had the little sister of the driver in my GT class). We were coming down the main road going home and the driver turned in front of us to make a left on our green light. When he saw us, he put his brakes on, so they slowed down instead of speeding out of the way. We slammed our brakes and tried to avoid them, but there was no way to go but into their car.
Even now, it's like a bad dream where things NEARLY happen, but nothing quite comes of it. There were emergency vehicles everywhere and lots of broken car parts, but no hurt people...even the kids were fine. Our airbags didn't deploy, but the seatbelts were enough. I had this horrible moment where I thought the Highlander was injured, and another when I thought we'd hurt the two kids, but none of that came to pass. Our car was totaled, so a sheriff had to drive us home, but the rental people got us another car yesterday. And even though we had initial worries about this being a huge problem (two teachers hit local teens, or local kids fight insurance claim), the family accepted full responsibility and all our needs will be paid for. Heck, while visiting the doctor yesterday, we found out our favorite nurse hates her green 1995 Subaru Legacy (the EXACT car we totaled!) and would LOVE to trade it for our gas guzzling GMC Sierra that we've had off the road for months!
I guess the only piece of this that makes this real is that yesterday, we were both home and safe on a school day without some sort of debilitating illness being involved (you guys KNOW what I'm talking about!). We slept in and rested pretty well, so all we have is stiffness and my tongue being sore from biting it. I actually had a UTI that I should have stayed home from work on Friday for (and wasn't going to), and the Highlander (who's a sub and part time at a lab) has had no paid days off since...um, last year at this time when he was still considered full time at the lab! If not for the car being totaled, both of us would have been stretched thin at work and come home exhausted. Had it even been just a fender bender, we'd have had to handle all the insurance stuff while TRYING to work.
This whole episode has become a weird blessing in disguise, I guess. Sure, the Highlander's neck is in bad shape currently, but still...it's the kind of day where you should hug the ones you love, call the ones you miss and thank God that you've got your health.
In less "holy !@#$" kind of news, I auditioned for Comedy Sportz in Buffalo and made it in! I haven't gotten to do much improv outside of my normal classroom goofiness lately (plus I've forgotten what a pain it was to drive into town and do late night shows...oh, wait...). Okay, STILL, I'm gonna do it. The minute they start letting me do shows, I'll be sure to let you guys know and make a Comedy Sportz stamp to commemorate it all. :-)
Also, as Odyssey of the Mind in New York State draws ever nearer, I find that I might be in Binghamton with one or more of the Lockport teams on March 28-30. If anyone wants to meet up and exchange, contact me after March 8th. I'll know for sure whether I'm going or not by then.
Until then, keep your cars on the road, your odysseys in mind and a bit more comedy in your sports!
The (glad to be still alive, using our brains and FUNNY) Sprite & the Highlander
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Our Holiday Newsletter 2007
Happy Holidays 2007 From The Burkes!
About 10 years ago, Kevin and I met each other playing a game online. There were, at the time, over 1500 people playing that game at any given time during the day and I was already closer buddies with one of his friends. Neither of us was looking to do more than play a game and have fun with our free time, yet somehow we ended up together for life.
You’d think THAT would be a constant reminder that things always happen for a reason…!
Life is really funny sometimes. Last year was a year of loss and change, but somehow, as I write this fifth holiday update, I’m surprised at how we gain when we accept that we lost. Too many events have happened this year to remind us of this. For starters, our picture this year wasn’t taken on our anniversary (which we mutually decided to skip to work summer school). This picture was taken at the wedding of a close friend of ours, someone we might not have been reacquainted with if not for the passing of our friend Tom Hollis.
Last summer, we lost my grandmother Lucy Rollins, but almost exactly a year later, my brother Eric breathes new life into our family by marrying Antra.
We braced ourselves for more lean years when Kevin decided to go back to teaching (even went so far as to decide to let go of the house if needed), but found that a HUGE part of the pain in his head and neck came from the stress of working at the lab. Now that he’s been subbing all over the county, we’re finding we don’t go through as much medication to keep his pain at bay. Coupled with the gas saved in going to work together, we’re actually SAVING money.
We were late to a student’s basketball game and felt we’d really missed something important, but arrived at a crossroads just in time to witness a terrible car accident. Had we been on time to the game, we wouldn’t have been there to hold the victim’s head and comfort him until help arrived. The experience became even more real for us as later that same day, another accident happened at the same intersection and a life WAS lost.
Even the song that we chose to mark our anniversary, “Solsbury Hill” by Peter Gabriel, turned out to be prophetic in more ways than one. I was listening to it while driving Kevin home from his myelogram. He was so worn out and tired looking from his 6 hour ordeal that seeing the sun shine on his face and hearing the words “Grab your things, I’ve come to take you home” really hit me hard. As it stands, it’s also a song about letting go, taking a risk to reach for your goals, despite your fears.
The name of the game this year, then, is faith and perseverance. Obviously, we haven’t STOPPED trying to do what needs to be done to survive or to help others, but we can see there’s no point in worrying any further about whether things will all work out. More importantly we know better now than to worry if they will work out the way we WANT them to.
So, while life here is never perfect, we’ve learned to accept a few basic truths:
Wherever you are is where you need to be at that time (even if you’re late to work or a basketball game).
Do what you can to make things happen (God bless the child that’s got his own), but remember to thank God for those unanswered prayers, too.
Stop waiting for the other shoe to fall…if life will take a wrong turn, it doesn’t need your pessimism to guide it in!
Love and support each other in your dreams…and always be ready to grab your loved one’s things and take them back home.
Have a wonderful 2008!!!
From Kevin & Daina
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Hallowed Wrap Up!
Was really great to see our regular boxers and meet some new ones at the Hallowed Grounds event this Saturday. I hope you all had as much fun as we did. Party Pig and Wes were our last guests. They came out Sunday and swung by here to say hi, so it was a full weekend for us.
If any of you come out and find any of the stamps (or want to know how to get to any other stamps in Orleans County), let us know and we'll direct you to anything you want!
Also, I know some of you wanted to know where to buy the LBNY t-shirts. The hiker logo on the front was from a specific company, but the LBNY logo is ours and is still on a shirt. You can get it by ordering from our Cafe Press store here: http://www.cafepress.com/spritesstuff
Hope to see all of you at Desperately Seeking Sun!
The (worn out but happy) Sprite & the (already asleep) Highlander
If any of you come out and find any of the stamps (or want to know how to get to any other stamps in Orleans County), let us know and we'll direct you to anything you want!
Also, I know some of you wanted to know where to buy the LBNY t-shirts. The hiker logo on the front was from a specific company, but the LBNY logo is ours and is still on a shirt. You can get it by ordering from our Cafe Press store here: http://www.cafepress.com/spritesstuff
Hope to see all of you at Desperately Seeking Sun!
The (worn out but happy) Sprite & the (already asleep) Highlander
Friday, October 19, 2007
Okay, THIS is the final Hallowed Grounds Tour update!
Quick update on this event...the 3rd stamp in the series (West Shelby Cemetery) has already been muggled by the little girl across the street. Since her parents might get all upset if someone came and roughed up their kid, we've decided to just call this one a loss. Follow the same directions from the clues, but DON'T stop here. Also, the East Shelby stamp IS still there, but you'll really need to peel the foliage apart down low to find it. It's fairly close to the metal Veterans marker behind the grave.
Also, if you want to swing by and visit for a bit, we'll be here all day, but probably won't be ready for company until around 5 (and the actual event is starting at 6pm). Enter our abode at your own risk and PLEASE call ahead (contact us offlist for the number). Identify yourself as a letterboxer right off or run the risk of being called a solicitor and hung up on!
Finally, if you want to stop and get the Weebls Pie stamp up at Brown's Berry Patch, contact us to let us know. We forgot to include this in the clues, but can direct you to there from the Waterport Cemetery easily for a great stamp but even BETTER PIE!!!!
See everyone tomorrow night!
The S & H
Also, if you want to swing by and visit for a bit, we'll be here all day, but probably won't be ready for company until around 5 (and the actual event is starting at 6pm). Enter our abode at your own risk and PLEASE call ahead (contact us offlist for the number). Identify yourself as a letterboxer right off or run the risk of being called a solicitor and hung up on!
Finally, if you want to stop and get the Weebls Pie stamp up at Brown's Berry Patch, contact us to let us know. We forgot to include this in the clues, but can direct you to there from the Waterport Cemetery easily for a great stamp but even BETTER PIE!!!!
See everyone tomorrow night!
The S & H
Monday, October 08, 2007
And the FINAL Hallowed Grounds Tour update!
Just letting everyone know that the clues are finally done and are posted on our website. Either click on the website at the event page or go to the AQ page for the boxes and the clue link will take you right to it: http://www.atlasquest.com/lboxes/showboxinfo.html?gBoxId=57018
Again, if you want to make a test run, let us know how it goes so we can make corrections if need be. Don't try to banzai the whole tour in one day if you can help it (or start early and take a break as needed!). The first leg took about 3 hours, for sure, but we don't quite know about the second. The Highlander got some kind of 24 hour bug while we were out (on that note, Otter Creek has a nice spot in the WAYYYY back if anyone wants to play Guess What the Highlander Ate for Sunday Breakfast!), so we had to do the last part over two days and forgot to watch the time. We also mixed up two of the stamps because I grabbed the wrong one in my hurry to get him home, but I mentioned the mistake in the clues so you'll know.
No matter what, be sure to let us know if you go and we'll give you our home number in case you get lost. I uploaded the map to a page as well, but if you want a better view, get a Western Region map from Mapworks...it's the best!
No more updates unless something's changed, so we'll see all of you on the 20th!
The S & H
Again, if you want to make a test run, let us know how it goes so we can make corrections if need be. Don't try to banzai the whole tour in one day if you can help it (or start early and take a break as needed!). The first leg took about 3 hours, for sure, but we don't quite know about the second. The Highlander got some kind of 24 hour bug while we were out (on that note, Otter Creek has a nice spot in the WAYYYY back if anyone wants to play Guess What the Highlander Ate for Sunday Breakfast!), so we had to do the last part over two days and forgot to watch the time. We also mixed up two of the stamps because I grabbed the wrong one in my hurry to get him home, but I mentioned the mistake in the clues so you'll know.
No matter what, be sure to let us know if you go and we'll give you our home number in case you get lost. I uploaded the map to a page as well, but if you want a better view, get a Western Region map from Mapworks...it's the best!
No more updates unless something's changed, so we'll see all of you on the 20th!
The S & H
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Hallowed Grounds Tour 2007 update
Just thought I'd let folks know that with any luck, I'll be planting the boxes this weekend for the event (since I'm booked for just about every other weekend after that). If I'm able to do so, I'll be posting the clues to the boxes EARLY (yes, early!) so those of you who can't spend THAT day getting stamps could get all the main stamps, then just stop by our place for the event stamp, some camaraderie and some basic Halloween fare (candy, apples, candy, doughnuts, candy, coffee...um...candy?)
I intend to have 30 total Orleans County cemeteries in the tour (which isn't even all the places we COULD go) and all the stamps will be drivebys. There might be SOME walking uphill, but nothing to get too worked up about if you've got decent knees. I'll have a better estimate of the time and mileage involved, but I would say allot a good 3 hours (especially if you want to buy pies and pumpkins and such while you're out and about).
More bulletins as warranted!
The (spooky) Sprite & the (haunted) Highlander
I intend to have 30 total Orleans County cemeteries in the tour (which isn't even all the places we COULD go) and all the stamps will be drivebys. There might be SOME walking uphill, but nothing to get too worked up about if you've got decent knees. I'll have a better estimate of the time and mileage involved, but I would say allot a good 3 hours (especially if you want to buy pies and pumpkins and such while you're out and about).
More bulletins as warranted!
The (spooky) Sprite & the (haunted) Highlander
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Happy Birthday to MEEEE! :-)
Okay, I know this should have gone under "Look At Me" on AQ, but since I'm still all puffed up with pride, I thought I'd blog it!
The Highlander and I agreed to not do birthday gifts this year, since my birthday always falls after our summer financial drought (September) and his is always after our Christmas drought (January). So, I went to school on the 27th not really expecting anything.
When I got in, 5 of my kids from LAST year came in with a box of cupcakes they had made AND frosted all by themselves! They sang to me, then had a few younger brothers and sisters holding up a banner they made with all their signatures on it. As I was gushing over how cool it was, one of them went "Ooo, let's get the whole 5th grade to sign it!" So, they held on to that, but made me open my present, which was a little ceramic fairy music box. I noticed she had a spot on her head and asked about it and the ringleader of this little band said, "Yeah, she had a crown that broke off and the knob to the music part is broken. We were kinda hoping you wouldn't notice that because we know you like fairy stuff from your earrings and your trailname (yes, I had made young boxers out of last year's class, too!) :-)
I promptly got teary eyed and said I didn't notice a thing!
I found out later from one of their moms that they had just REMEMBERED my birthday on their own and had been planning what to do about it every since school started this year! For kids who'll just be turning 11 this year, I was REALLY flattered that they remembered after a whole year. We did NOTHING special for my birhtday when they were in my class, so how they knew, I'll never know!
The rest of the day was great, too. The Highlander yelled out of the car that it was my birthday to my principal, who bellowed "Well, the WHOLE SCHOOL'S gonna know NOW!" and proceeded to shout it into every classroom as he walked in and THEN sang to me on the morning announcements and told all the kids to do the same if they saw me. So, I got musical interludes and hurriedly sketched homemade cards all day. My favorite was from one of this year's students, who made me fake money in $1,000,000 denominations. Another girl had colored a cute little purse for me, so I now have it up on my desk as my "retirement fund"! :-)
Yay kids...and Highlanders! ;-)
The (still feeling the love nearly a week later) Sprite and the (still giving her love year 'round) Highlander
The Highlander and I agreed to not do birthday gifts this year, since my birthday always falls after our summer financial drought (September) and his is always after our Christmas drought (January). So, I went to school on the 27th not really expecting anything.
When I got in, 5 of my kids from LAST year came in with a box of cupcakes they had made AND frosted all by themselves! They sang to me, then had a few younger brothers and sisters holding up a banner they made with all their signatures on it. As I was gushing over how cool it was, one of them went "Ooo, let's get the whole 5th grade to sign it!" So, they held on to that, but made me open my present, which was a little ceramic fairy music box. I noticed she had a spot on her head and asked about it and the ringleader of this little band said, "Yeah, she had a crown that broke off and the knob to the music part is broken. We were kinda hoping you wouldn't notice that because we know you like fairy stuff from your earrings and your trailname (yes, I had made young boxers out of last year's class, too!) :-)
I promptly got teary eyed and said I didn't notice a thing!
I found out later from one of their moms that they had just REMEMBERED my birthday on their own and had been planning what to do about it every since school started this year! For kids who'll just be turning 11 this year, I was REALLY flattered that they remembered after a whole year. We did NOTHING special for my birhtday when they were in my class, so how they knew, I'll never know!
The rest of the day was great, too. The Highlander yelled out of the car that it was my birthday to my principal, who bellowed "Well, the WHOLE SCHOOL'S gonna know NOW!" and proceeded to shout it into every classroom as he walked in and THEN sang to me on the morning announcements and told all the kids to do the same if they saw me. So, I got musical interludes and hurriedly sketched homemade cards all day. My favorite was from one of this year's students, who made me fake money in $1,000,000 denominations. Another girl had colored a cute little purse for me, so I now have it up on my desk as my "retirement fund"! :-)
Yay kids...and Highlanders! ;-)
The (still feeling the love nearly a week later) Sprite and the (still giving her love year 'round) Highlander
Sunday, August 26, 2007
5th Annual WNY Gathering ROCKED! :-)
Well, I would have posted a big wrap up last night, but after a few posts and replies to the 100+ e-mails I got over the weekend, the Highlander reached over, took the laptop and started shutting things down ("The world can WAIT for one more night!" as he put it!). Good move, too...I just got out of bed about an hour ago, so I TRULY needed the rest!
Anyway, the whole weekend was a giant blast! We (Skater Boy, the Highlander and I) began it early Friday morning around 6am (after going to bed around 2!) We took the Highlander to work, then CQ picked Skater Boy and I up with the intent to head to Sprague Brook, set up camp, then go to the Ridge and get some boxing in (we learned from experience that running a gathering means never leaving the pavilion, so we wanted to get some actual boxes before 100+ folks descended upon us!). We were hoping to meet up with Eidolon and Artemis at Chestnut Ridge around 2pm, so we wanted to really get moving.
What ended up happening was we helped CQ pack, stocked up on general supplies (donation boxes, raffle items, a new black marker) until the Highlander was already done with his half day of work. THEN the truck was doing ominous things with steering fluid and oil, so we dealt with that until we finally struggled into the CAMPGROUNDS around 2pm. We met Frog Prince, Queen of Everything and JB the Huntress, who'd arrived a little before we did. By then, Eidolon & Artemis had called us to let us know they were in NO way making it on time, so the sense of urgency turned into a sense of "sit in the woods on a cool rock to beat the 89 degree weather, then slog overheatedly into Springville for things REAL survival items...like WATER!"
Anyway, after we finally settled in, other folks started to arrive, like dee123, CathCainGwen, Chadams & Lady Lilac, the IAP and Bear and the rest of the Quinn clan. Party Pig and the Phoenix had started boxing at DAWN, so they were still at it by the afternoon/evening. Talking Turtle arrived around 5pm with car trouble that made our little bout with the oil and fluid look like a picnic. Luckily, she made it to the campsite, but unluckily, the auto service she got with her phone only worked on the phone she had at home (so she was told by the operator). After we all plotted the destruction of said phone company (don't worry, we'll get a name so that you can ALL hate it with us!), the Highlander and I called AAA and told them we had been riding with her and they towed her van to the local shop in Springville. Meanwhile, Party Pig and The Phoenix were STILL out boxing...
We kicked back and enjoyed the rest of the night. A group of folks (CQ, Frog Prince, Queen of Everything, and to my surprise, Artemis and Eidolon, who snuck in later) sat around exchanging stamps while the Highlander and Chadams cooked up some food. It became apparent that Chadams camping set up was way more conducive to grouping up (what with the gazebo, tent with a welcome mat and dog door and the actual campfire!) We sat around and shot the breeze for a while and Ryan told "The Cremation of Sam McGee" to us around the campfire while the dozen or so kids ran around playing sardines. I don't even remember when we all went to bed, but we were good and tired when it happened (and of course, Party Pig and The Phoenix were STILL out boxing, although they came back long enough to set up camp!).
The next morning had Green Star Quinn and a bunch of the 'tween boxers getting lost in the woods for an hour or so, just as we were getting ready to head to the park. I was so worried, I forgot the event stamp and all my boxing stuff when the Highlander shooed me off to greet folks at Chestnut Ridge. Luckily, they found their way to the main road in time for what was probably a tag team effort of parental/general adult chastisment, so I didn't have to ruin the event by sacrificing their small bodies.
All in all, the day went well! The kids never LEFT the playground (especially after the morning's scare) and folks rolled in to stamp and exchange at the pavilion and out to box and back in the same easy way they always do. To my dismay, the Highlander ended up burning himself on a misplaced barbecue fork while grilling, but Frog Prince saw him standing there with a bag of ice in one hand, the fork in the other and a line of folks with open buns in front of him (hmmm...more stuff for the Dirty Letterboxing Quotes list!) and came to the rescue! Meanwhile, I got to meet a bunch of new folks like Trekkie Gal (who must have been the star of the day since she's made it into two blogs now!) LOSTGIRL, S and K, K and T, jasondrew and a bunch of others I had only seen in logbooks or on boards. Balloon Fanatic's family was also there, which meant the winner of the youngest boxer award (Mermaid Girl) was present. She and her sister both look like they fell off a charm bracelet, they're so cute, so they probably coulda taken that award as well. We raffled stuff off and took pics around 5, just as a brief storm blew in...and blew out! Literally 2/3 of the boxers had gone when the suddenly the sun broke out and it was as if nothing happened!
With that, the Highlander and I headed back to Sprague Brook to get the night boxes placed. We'd intended to go eat at Ponderosa with everyone else, but just ran out of time before the boxing was to start. I was beside myself with ideas on where to hide them when Soccer Star 7 and gymnastics girl's dad Eric came up with the PERFECT path to hide the boxes on. It was partial in a field, but mostly in the woods, which were good and spooky dark by the time folks started finding boxes. A more mature and less rowdy group than Ryan's bunch went through with mostly kids and parents around 8, while the rest came around 10. After that, we all went to separate fun zones. A gang of adults hit the fireside again while a bunch of gamer kids and adults sat around our site playing Dungeons & Dragons again for a good 2 hours. Poor Skater Boy was out cold within the first 10 minutes, but everyone else was once again up until the wee hours having a blast.
Sunday morning began with my getting up and seeing a 6 foot something creature rear its multitentacled head from the vicinity of Ryan's sleeping gear. It took a moment to realize that this actually WAS Ryan wearing a funky ski hat to keep warm, but MAN, do I wish I'd had the camera on me for THAT! We all started to pack and say our goodbyes (being sure to give Ryan tips on how to keep strange men from touching him in the airport while he slept), then started to head our separate ways around noon (by which time Party Pig and the Phoenix were...hmm...STILL BOXING!). By the time the Highlander and I got home, I was ready to crash, but kept trying to post THIS leviathan of a wrap-up until the Highlander forced me to call it a night.
Oh, and Eidolon called me from the trail last night...he was still boxing, too, but wanted to see if we missed him yet. I told him I missed him so much that I had fallen asleep on the couch and he seemed satisfied....!
Anyhoo, for those who came, thanks for all the compliments, the donations and the general camaraderie. I couldn't have asked for more fun in one weekend, so I'm again REALLY glad we added camping to this event. Our most sincere thanks goes to Chadams for making this park more easily accessible to the layman and throwing his whole heart and soul into helping make this event come off. We also thank Frog Prince for saving the Highlander in his time of need and Eric Festor (who I'm gonna just call Nightbike for the sake of having a trailname) for saving me in mine! Another major thanks to folks who donated items for the raffle and boxes for the event (BTW, if you DID bring some event stamps, please help me out by listing them on the event page...I don't know HALF of what I got in this book right now!) :-O Also, for those who did them, the night box series (called Night Music) is listed here. If you told me the title of the song, you got the last stamp (#9). As far as pics, I know some folks are already posting pics at the event page, but those would be folks with digital cameras. Mine have to be developed yet (curse my desperate need for an upgrade!), but I think I took pics of every group that came through so you can put names with faces.
Finally, the next gathering has already been listed here. Not ABSOLUTELY sure about the location just yet (since Nightbike has mentioned another great park near Lake Ontario), but we'll keep everyone posted.
Thanks again, everybody! You make this yearly event a labor of love! :-)
The (worn, but happy) Sprite & the (happy, but burnt) Highlander
Anyway, the whole weekend was a giant blast! We (Skater Boy, the Highlander and I) began it early Friday morning around 6am (after going to bed around 2!) We took the Highlander to work, then CQ picked Skater Boy and I up with the intent to head to Sprague Brook, set up camp, then go to the Ridge and get some boxing in (we learned from experience that running a gathering means never leaving the pavilion, so we wanted to get some actual boxes before 100+ folks descended upon us!). We were hoping to meet up with Eidolon and Artemis at Chestnut Ridge around 2pm, so we wanted to really get moving.
What ended up happening was we helped CQ pack, stocked up on general supplies (donation boxes, raffle items, a new black marker) until the Highlander was already done with his half day of work. THEN the truck was doing ominous things with steering fluid and oil, so we dealt with that until we finally struggled into the CAMPGROUNDS around 2pm. We met Frog Prince, Queen of Everything and JB the Huntress, who'd arrived a little before we did. By then, Eidolon & Artemis had called us to let us know they were in NO way making it on time, so the sense of urgency turned into a sense of "sit in the woods on a cool rock to beat the 89 degree weather, then slog overheatedly into Springville for things REAL survival items...like WATER!"
Anyway, after we finally settled in, other folks started to arrive, like dee123, CathCainGwen, Chadams & Lady Lilac, the IAP and Bear and the rest of the Quinn clan. Party Pig and the Phoenix had started boxing at DAWN, so they were still at it by the afternoon/evening. Talking Turtle arrived around 5pm with car trouble that made our little bout with the oil and fluid look like a picnic. Luckily, she made it to the campsite, but unluckily, the auto service she got with her phone only worked on the phone she had at home (so she was told by the operator). After we all plotted the destruction of said phone company (don't worry, we'll get a name so that you can ALL hate it with us!), the Highlander and I called AAA and told them we had been riding with her and they towed her van to the local shop in Springville. Meanwhile, Party Pig and The Phoenix were STILL out boxing...
We kicked back and enjoyed the rest of the night. A group of folks (CQ, Frog Prince, Queen of Everything, and to my surprise, Artemis and Eidolon, who snuck in later) sat around exchanging stamps while the Highlander and Chadams cooked up some food. It became apparent that Chadams camping set up was way more conducive to grouping up (what with the gazebo, tent with a welcome mat and dog door and the actual campfire!) We sat around and shot the breeze for a while and Ryan told "The Cremation of Sam McGee" to us around the campfire while the dozen or so kids ran around playing sardines. I don't even remember when we all went to bed, but we were good and tired when it happened (and of course, Party Pig and The Phoenix were STILL out boxing, although they came back long enough to set up camp!).
The next morning had Green Star Quinn and a bunch of the 'tween boxers getting lost in the woods for an hour or so, just as we were getting ready to head to the park. I was so worried, I forgot the event stamp and all my boxing stuff when the Highlander shooed me off to greet folks at Chestnut Ridge. Luckily, they found their way to the main road in time for what was probably a tag team effort of parental/general adult chastisment, so I didn't have to ruin the event by sacrificing their small bodies.
All in all, the day went well! The kids never LEFT the playground (especially after the morning's scare) and folks rolled in to stamp and exchange at the pavilion and out to box and back in the same easy way they always do. To my dismay, the Highlander ended up burning himself on a misplaced barbecue fork while grilling, but Frog Prince saw him standing there with a bag of ice in one hand, the fork in the other and a line of folks with open buns in front of him (hmmm...more stuff for the Dirty Letterboxing Quotes list!) and came to the rescue! Meanwhile, I got to meet a bunch of new folks like Trekkie Gal (who must have been the star of the day since she's made it into two blogs now!) LOSTGIRL, S and K, K and T, jasondrew and a bunch of others I had only seen in logbooks or on boards. Balloon Fanatic's family was also there, which meant the winner of the youngest boxer award (Mermaid Girl) was present. She and her sister both look like they fell off a charm bracelet, they're so cute, so they probably coulda taken that award as well. We raffled stuff off and took pics around 5, just as a brief storm blew in...and blew out! Literally 2/3 of the boxers had gone when the suddenly the sun broke out and it was as if nothing happened!
With that, the Highlander and I headed back to Sprague Brook to get the night boxes placed. We'd intended to go eat at Ponderosa with everyone else, but just ran out of time before the boxing was to start. I was beside myself with ideas on where to hide them when Soccer Star 7 and gymnastics girl's dad Eric came up with the PERFECT path to hide the boxes on. It was partial in a field, but mostly in the woods, which were good and spooky dark by the time folks started finding boxes. A more mature and less rowdy group than Ryan's bunch went through with mostly kids and parents around 8, while the rest came around 10. After that, we all went to separate fun zones. A gang of adults hit the fireside again while a bunch of gamer kids and adults sat around our site playing Dungeons & Dragons again for a good 2 hours. Poor Skater Boy was out cold within the first 10 minutes, but everyone else was once again up until the wee hours having a blast.
Sunday morning began with my getting up and seeing a 6 foot something creature rear its multitentacled head from the vicinity of Ryan's sleeping gear. It took a moment to realize that this actually WAS Ryan wearing a funky ski hat to keep warm, but MAN, do I wish I'd had the camera on me for THAT! We all started to pack and say our goodbyes (being sure to give Ryan tips on how to keep strange men from touching him in the airport while he slept), then started to head our separate ways around noon (by which time Party Pig and the Phoenix were...hmm...STILL BOXING!). By the time the Highlander and I got home, I was ready to crash, but kept trying to post THIS leviathan of a wrap-up until the Highlander forced me to call it a night.
Oh, and Eidolon called me from the trail last night...he was still boxing, too, but wanted to see if we missed him yet. I told him I missed him so much that I had fallen asleep on the couch and he seemed satisfied....!
Anyhoo, for those who came, thanks for all the compliments, the donations and the general camaraderie. I couldn't have asked for more fun in one weekend, so I'm again REALLY glad we added camping to this event. Our most sincere thanks goes to Chadams for making this park more easily accessible to the layman and throwing his whole heart and soul into helping make this event come off. We also thank Frog Prince for saving the Highlander in his time of need and Eric Festor (who I'm gonna just call Nightbike for the sake of having a trailname) for saving me in mine! Another major thanks to folks who donated items for the raffle and boxes for the event (BTW, if you DID bring some event stamps, please help me out by listing them on the event page...I don't know HALF of what I got in this book right now!) :-O Also, for those who did them, the night box series (called Night Music) is listed here. If you told me the title of the song, you got the last stamp (#9). As far as pics, I know some folks are already posting pics at the event page, but those would be folks with digital cameras. Mine have to be developed yet (curse my desperate need for an upgrade!), but I think I took pics of every group that came through so you can put names with faces.
Finally, the next gathering has already been listed here. Not ABSOLUTELY sure about the location just yet (since Nightbike has mentioned another great park near Lake Ontario), but we'll keep everyone posted.
Thanks again, everybody! You make this yearly event a labor of love! :-)
The (worn, but happy) Sprite & the (happy, but burnt) Highlander
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Hallowed Ground Tour 2007
Hey, folks! Felt bad that we couldn't make it to Infinity's Massacre-ade, so we decided to make our own fun in WNY! This event is part driving tour, part mini-meet, all spooky! Check out the details!
http://www.atlasquest.com/events/event.html?gEventId=453
The S & H
http://www.atlasquest.com/events/event.html?gEventId=453
The S & H
Planting at the Ridge complete!
CQ, the Highlander and I just banzai-ed Chestnut Ridge Park, planting everything we had (all 33 of ours, 14 of his and the 4 donations we received. We are "TO' up from the FLO' up", as my granny used to say (which meant "worn out" for you traditional Northerners!) but ready to go boxwise. I have a few more stamps to carve for the night event (and some prize stamps for various things at the event), but other than that, WNY is open for business!
The clues for the boxes planted today will officially be posted on the website by Thursday morning. However, if you are coming from out of state and leaving Thursday night before the clues are posted, have no fear! The exact info in on the page will be in the clue books at the park and out of town guests AUTOMATICALLY get one, so long as you come to the park for it. If you want to start early, the boxes that are already in the park have been posted on the site already...just print them off and you'll be all set! DO NOT use the clues that are currently (as of Sunday) posted, though...they've already confused one person, so Chadams is trying to rewrite them and they SHOULD be good by Wednesday.
More bulletins as warranted!
The (snuggling on the sofa, finally relaxed) Sprite & Highlander
The clues for the boxes planted today will officially be posted on the website by Thursday morning. However, if you are coming from out of state and leaving Thursday night before the clues are posted, have no fear! The exact info in on the page will be in the clue books at the park and out of town guests AUTOMATICALLY get one, so long as you come to the park for it. If you want to start early, the boxes that are already in the park have been posted on the site already...just print them off and you'll be all set! DO NOT use the clues that are currently (as of Sunday) posted, though...they've already confused one person, so Chadams is trying to rewrite them and they SHOULD be good by Wednesday.
More bulletins as warranted!
The (snuggling on the sofa, finally relaxed) Sprite & Highlander
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Sending a box for the WNY Gathering?
Okay, Celtic Quinn and I are planting boxes tomorrow (August 15th) at Chestnut Ridge Park. We're planting all the ones we have and have received, but since neither of us is done carving as of this posting, we MIGHT make another trip down this weekend. If you have one that you plan to send us, write us IMMEDIATELY and mail the box so it gets here by SATURDAY the 18th. Anything that doesn't show up by then will be on the table for the gathering and planted afterward.
Remember, if we can't keep it (as a permanent plant), we don't want it! Not being rude or nasty, but the plan is to seed this park pretty heavily so it'll be a boxer's paradise; plus, the park's pretty far away for those of us in the northern part of WNY, so we won't be going back unless ABSOLUTELY necessary (maintenance and such).
More bulletins as warranted!
The S & H
Remember, if we can't keep it (as a permanent plant), we don't want it! Not being rude or nasty, but the plan is to seed this park pretty heavily so it'll be a boxer's paradise; plus, the park's pretty far away for those of us in the northern part of WNY, so we won't be going back unless ABSOLUTELY necessary (maintenance and such).
More bulletins as warranted!
The S & H
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
