Home Again

I don't know what it is, but I often seem to be in trouble with security and/or customs.

The first time I remember was in Copenhagen when I had trouble about the knife I was carrying (1980).

Then I had that issue with the guns when we came back from Spain (2000).

At Washington, D.C., National Airport we had an issue with a pencil sharpener.  Not. Kidding. (ok, it was right after they'd re-opened post-9/11, but still).

There was the jam that was confiscated in Canada because I refused to check it (last May).

I'm sure there were other incidents that are not coming to mind at the moment.

Today, when I came back from London I had a really, really hard time with the question,

"What was the purpose of your travel to London?" 

I had to push down a very strong urge to reply, 

"To visit the Queen!" 

But push it down I did. I also pushed down the giggles. 

That said, when I was at the customs area and they asked me if I had food I replied, without hesitation, 

"No."

The nice young man asked me to put my bags flat on the belt and when they'd passed through he asked, with a slightly accusatory tone and very confidently, 

"What food do you have in the bag, ma'am?" 

To which I replied, confidently and perhaps a bit defensively, 

"None!" 

and then, after a pause, 

"Oh, I bought cookies at the airport ... " 

He asked if perhaps I had an apple. 

"No!" 

He asked if he could look through the suitcase. 

"Of course!" 

(still confident).

And what did he find?

My food stash for the flight, which I forgot about.  And hadn't opened.  It was purchased in Minnesota.

All I could say was,

"Oh!  Oooops!"

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Did you know that custom U.S. postage stamps can be made? I received this from The Girls recently:

And here is an empty Mall of America - enjoy it. It's not going to look like this again for a while:

I survived Thanksgiving. I have baked and decorated and knit. To reward myself for surviving not just Thanksgiving but the year, I decided to leave town for a few days. I'll be back next week, hopefully with some photos.

It Was a Dark and Foggy Night

I was hanging out downtown tonight because of a meeting so I snapped a few shots of the more interesting looking buildings.

I wonder what it's like to be in those top floors during the day when the clouds are hanging so low.

Some of them have cool lighting so that gives them an extra special weirdness.

That's all I've got.  I went to the Guild meeting after my work meeting but I left early 'cause it had just been too long of a day already.

All Grown Up

She's all grown up.

26 today (her birthday is a national holiday)

And it's still impossible to get a photo of her without the blur of movement.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Pea.

More on Books

I went to Books & Bars tonight, where we discussed Neil Gaiman's Graveyard Book.  

It was a good discussion.

There will be a podcast of it somewhere, but I'm not sure where.  If I find it posted later I will let you know.  You can listen to it and see if you can identify me ;)

BTW, today is Gaiman's birthday - just one day before Girl-child's birthday.  He is 55 years old, which is my age.  Coincidence?  I think not.

Also, I had a request for photos of the book earrings, which I take to author books signings when I think of it.  It's hard to capture the lewd and lascivious comments that Redmond O'Hanlon wrote, but let me say that his is the most interesting signature so far.