It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

Have you ever had those ideas that while you are planning them they seem like the best idea since sliced bread, but in hindsight, you want to smack yourself in the head and yell "What was I thinking?" I have these moments once in a while and it is usually when I have over extended myself and my body just rebels against me. Other times, it is just plain stupidity. Well, let's take a look at a few such instances:



- It is never a good idea to leave a Jaycee or JCI conference on the 6 a.m. or earlier flight. I tried this is L.A. and was physically ill driving from Anaheim to L.A. at 5 in the morning on 1 hour of sleep. However, I did look cute in my J Lo like matching track outfit! Also, don't try this at home - Leaving for the airport at 2 am with NO sleep for a 5 a.m. flight from Antalya to Istanbul is just a bad idea! It got worse when you take three cranky girls (Me, MJ and Melissa) on a 12 hour sightseeing run of Istanbul. We slipped in and out of consciousness on a tour of Istanbul that we payed good money for. I can tell you the most memorable parts of that day were the gross rain and the Starbuck's, which became our mecca for home.



- It is not a good idea to buy swords on vacation without prior thought. My ex-boyfriend did this and while we accounted for the 3 foot sword and packaged and checked in accordingly, we did not count on the 9 sword letter openers that raised the red flag with security and almost lead to missing our flight and a full body cavity search! More ridiculous was the time that security determined that was Jaycee gavel was a lethal weapon but the 20 pounds of plaques in my carry on were not. Go figure!



- It is not a good idea to go on vacation without sneakers. I have done this twice and lived to regret it both times. The first time was in Paris. I did not want to bring sneakers - it was so American and I did not want to look like a tourist. Let's face it, I scream tourist no matter what! After a day walking around Paris in sandals, the number of blisters on my feet outnumbered the number of toes on my feet (and I have all my toes!) On our way to the Louvre, I bought a pair of sneakers and hobbled my way through the rest of the week. By the time we reached Giverny, I was contemplating a wheel chair! Next time with no sneakers, this year in Puerto Rico! Flip flops just did not cut it on the cobblestone streets of Old San Juan. After a quick stop at Payless, I was good to go!



What have I learned from all this - pack my sneakers, buy normal souvenirs and don't take the earliest flight of the day. It makes Michelle a happier camper and that makes everyone with Michelle a happier camper also!

Vampire Ball - Part II - I'm Going to Suck Your Blood!

Well besides having a little bit of food poisoning and fever from the steak tartare and quail's egg (I think), things are OK, so let's continue with our 4th course:

Dover Sole Meuniere - this was to die for, pardon the vampire pun! This fish melted in your mouth and reminded Wendy and I about the time we went to L.A. Farm in Santa Monica. Running late for our dinner reservations due to traffic (huge surprise in CA), we called the restaurant and told them we were running late. We did not want to the snooty hostess to not seat us after we finally arrived after being in the car for an hour and a half. A pleasant man answered, listed to our plight, and assured us it was no problem. Did we dial a number in the Midwest? People are not that nice in L.A.! When we got there and were seated, the chef came out to see us. Sorry to hear that your drive here was so bad, I'm glad you made it. What? He was the nice man that answered the phone. We were speechless. This wasn't a Mom and Pop restaurant, Jennifer Aniston eats here for frick sake, and he cares about us? We were sold and had the best salmon meal of our life!

Next up, leg of lamb! I am not sure I have ever had lamb before but it was amazing in this stew concoction that they sat in front of us. This reminded of us of a great steak dinner at Whist in Santa Monica. It reminded us of how Wendy spilled a whole bag of Goldfish crackers as we pulled up to the valet at the restaurant with our clearly WT dirty car. It reminded us of the $12 Voss water they served us (we caught on after the 1st bottle) and how we were parched when we left the restaurant and ran around the block to Ralph's to buy a 6-pack of Fiji water as soon as we left this really expensive restaurant where we had had one of the nest meals of our lives!

Finally, it was dessert time - Rum Babas with Melomelo - otherwise known as yummy goodness! Since Tom was feeling left out of the L.A. memories, he declared this course to remind him of Puerto Rico, the Bacardi rum factory and the crazy amounts of food that contained rum that we ate on vacation. We agreed whole hearted and that rounded out our fun evening.

As we tried to right our full selves out of the crowded corner booth, we decided that the night was a success. Now, if only are tarot card fortunes will come true....