The Great Balancing Act

Pay At The Pump

I was watching a movie a couple of weeks ago and the actors were paying at the pump for gas.  I had completely forgotten about pay at the pump gas!  I’m excited to return to it.  Our gas is rationed.  To purchase gas here I must stop at the little booth and show my ID card, car registration, and ration card before I can even pull up to a pump.  After I pump my gas I must take my ID card, car registration, ration card, and payment method to wait in line at the payment window.  There I must give the attendant my ID card, car registration, and ration card.  The attendant visually scans everything and swipes my ration card through their machine.  On the debit card machine I must then confirm the number of liters I used from my ration, answer whether or not I want to use my pre-paid balance (for use at certain German gas stations, and a pin number is required), and then sign.  Only then can I go through the regular process of paying for the gas with my debit card.  Did I mention that to even get to the gas station I must leave the instillation that I live on, wait in line, show my ID card to the armed gate guards, hope my car isn’t selection for inspection this time around because I really don’t have time for it, and then go to the gas station?  (If I am selected for special inspection, I have to pull over to a special area; provide my registration, license, and ID card; get out of the van and open all doors, the back, the hood, the glove box, and stand to the side in the marked area of the pavement so they can inspect the interior of my vehicle with a flash light; then I have to close everything up and return to my standing spot while they inspect the underside of the van with a rolling mirror; and finally I can have all of my paperwork back get in the van and drive on.  I especally love it with they have the police dogs out participting in the inspection -- they check out your car during the flash light portion of the entertainment.)  I must of course repeat this lengthy process to go home.  If I want to purchase gas not on a military installation I can use only a German Esso Stations and have to have a pre-paid balance on my ration card.  To add insult to injury, the German’s have recently out-lawed standard unleaded gas in what I think is supposed to be emission limiting legislation.  So, as of today, the gas stations received their last shipment of standard unleaded gas.  When they run out we all have to start paying for premium.

My recall that pay at the pump gas exists reminds me of the culture shock that awaits us when we return to the US this summer.   It really hit us last time we returned to the US from overseas, but I think we are better prepared for it this time around.  When you move to someplace like Germany you expect things to be different, but when you return to the US you expect things to be familiar.  Only, some familiar things you have forgotten, and some familiar things have changed.  When we went to Georgia from Germany last time around (May 2000) pay at the pump gas had been developed while we were gone.  Though I loved that the new innovation made it possible for me to pay for gas without getting then infant Katie out of the car, it took me awhile to figure it out how to use it.  We were also shell shocked by Harry Potter, the brand new Survivor Reality Show (it was the first season, but we, just returning from Germany, thought TV had perhaps been like this for awhile and we just didn’t know it), returning to being able to take a free right turn on red, and cell phones.

I wonder what surprises await us this time around.  No matter what it is, I’m certain that I’ll at least know how to pay for gas.

It's That Time of Year Again

Lake Superior State University has released their annual list of words to be banished from the English language.  Nerd girl that I am, I enjoy this list every year, as well as the list of new dictionary words that come out.  Although we are a bit isolated from US popular culture here and the list does contain a few phrases I’ve never heard of, this pursuit is not without its uses.  Last year Curtis had a saying that drove me batty, but I, being a woman of tact and restraint, (stop laughing, you’ll wet your pants) refrained from telling him so.  “It is what it is.”  Topped last year’s list, and mostly eradicated the statement from my husband’s word usage.  So, to exercise my creative monkey today I’m going to use as many phrases as possible from this year’s list before it’s 2009 and I can never speak them again.

We have been pretty much hanging out at home and relaxing between Christmas and the new year.   This is our favorite way to spend this week actually.  It’s our own personal annual staycation.  Curtis has been working a half-day schedule this week, so it’s been nice.  I was a bit of a game changer yesterday and went to check the mail and got some groceries, but other than that we’ve pretty much been hanging out.  My brother got me some excellent books for Christmas, and I'm about to start the third and final one.  (Until I hunt up some more.)  Curtis recieved the Playstation game Little Big Planet for Christmas and we've all really been enjoying it.  Katie and the nieghborhood kids have been running around like wild monkeys, and everyone is enjoying their new toys.

Checking the mail yesterday did turn out to be a really good move for us.  We have been desperately searching for some missing Christmas packages that the postal system sent by slow boat by mistake.  (For a good portion of the month of November one of the shipment points to us was putting all Priority Mail on a boat for some mysterious reason. This is a difference of us getting a piece of mail in 10 to 14 days to us getting it in 6 to 8 weeks.)  I made a Heritage Makers digital scrapbook for Curtis of our vacation to the Canary Islands for Christmas.  It arrived yesterday.  I <3 it!  It was actually a really good mail day for Curtis as his very own Croc Mammoths arrived, and he too now has happy feet.

I am also excited to report that our Sigg water bottle pieces and parts arrived.  We have been trying to reduce our carbon foot print this year, and have been greening things up around here.  If you have not yet discovered these fun, refillable aluminum water bottles, you should check them out.  They even have one that is insulated.  They are a bit expensive, but come in some really great, iconic designs, work like a charm, and are a great replacement for the dreaded plastic water bottle.  Katie’s bottle got knocked off of a table at school and the cap on the lid broke, so I was delighted to learn that I could just order her a replacement lid.  Katie was delighted too as she’s just received her very own economic bailout   -- I can now fully restrain myself from my unreasonable desire to make her buy her own new water bottle for school.  Really, she was not responsible for the incident. 

For the remainder of 2008, our grand plans include doing some laundry (of course), baking a little something to take to the New Year’s get together we are going to tonight, and taking a nap.  Holly has been quite a nap maverick, since the tender age of two, but I have been mentally preparing her for the fact that a nap is going to happen today.  She really likes going to parties, so I’m really confident this nap thing is going to work.  Not so much.  I am; however, willing to die trying.

On an interesting family word usage note, when Katie was 3 and 4 years-old she used the word “actually” all the time.  “Actually grandma . . .” People were so very impressed with her amazing vocabulary.  Personally, I knew that I used the word actually all the time.  I have apparently replaced this with the continual use of “as well”.  “I would like some juice as well Momma.”, chimes Holly.  “I want to play the game as well.”  It’s the kind of word that stands out coming out of a freshly minted 4-year-old’s mouth.

So . . . (another word I use a lot) I hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas and have a really great New Year as well.

(For those of you who are counting my usage in order of appearance:  It’s that time of year again, tacking monkey onto every word under the sun, staycation,  game changer, desperately searching,  <3 (heart), carbon foot print, using green as a verb, calling everything iconic, bailout, maverick, and not so much.  Even I couldn’t stand to use “first dude”, “Main Street”, or “Joe the Plumber”.  I really like using green as a verb, so don’t expect it to disappear.   We all have to be a bit of a maverick about something.  Besides, it’s iconic.)

Freedom Walk

 

We walked in the 5^th Annual America Supports You Freedom Walk this afternoon.  The Freedom Walk was created by a group of people at the pentagon to commemorate September 11, 2001.  It has quickly gained popularity across the US -- last year 255 communities representing all 50 US states and 8 countries overseas participated in the walk.

We headed out on the 5K walk directly afterschool today.  The weather was perfect for the event, and the girls had a great time.  Then it was home again to a crock pot meal and homework.  (Thanks again to all of you who shared your crock pot recipes with me to help out with our busy fall schedule.  If anyone else has some family friendly crock pot recipes out there to save us from Burger King, please send them my way.)

This year, as the senior member of the “Voice of Freedom” Brigade who is not employed away from the community today, Curtis was the key note speaker at the event.  He found out about this assignment about 48 hours before the event – fortunately, they sent him a speech with the invitation.  Unfortunately, they provided the chaplin with pretty much the same speech, and the chaplin went first, so he got to wing it a bit.  His boss called it "professional development."

This year I also had my first conversation with Katie regarding the September 11 attacks.  She had become curious about the topic, and was seeking information.  I found it to be rather disturbing to have to explain terrorist attacks to my third grader, but I think she got what she needed out of the discussion without getting too much information.