Lots going on

I haven't posted a lot lately because I have a lot going on.  When things settle down I'll detail it all out but right now I gotta play it close to the vest.

High School Boys

The hubby said he'd take me out to brunch this morning if I went to crew practice with him first.  Hmmm....  Decisions, decisions....  They're not on the water yet (still thawing out here, you know) so they had indoor practice and today was just an "erg test".  Which is were the rowers sit on a rowing machine and go as fast as they can for 2000 meters. 

Good news was I didn't have to suffer cold and wind on the water for a free breakfast.  But I did have to endure a gym full of the hormone-driven stank that accompanies boys of this age when they work out - and that accompanies their personal hygiene that they do, or possibly don't, practice at this age.  It is a unique "musk" that I try encounter as least often as I possibly have to...

Overheard at practice:

MD (to his friend):  Hurry up man!  I want to get home and eat lunch!!

Me:  MD, it's only 10am!!

MD: Well yeah, my first lunch.  (insert "duh" eye roll here)

So here's a warning to all you parents out there with boys.  This will be you trying to feed your teenager one day.  And I don't know how many lunches a teenage boy requires.  Or breakfasts or dinners for that matter.  I didn't even ask.  So start saving now to pad your grocery bill for those teenage years to come. 

Don't say I didn't warn you!!

Add a little cutie pie to my list

I hate it when I accidentally make myself feel old...  But better to feel old than a pedophile, I say.

If you happened across FB Saturday you saw that I went to the Justin Bieber movie.  I took my "little sister" to see it.  She's 12 and a HUGE Bieber fan.  Which, I would assume you would all agree is an appropriate age to be a Bieber fan.  I was, and still am, indifferent to his music. Don't worry.  The movie did not make me into a "Bi-lie-ber".  But I have to admit that it did change my perception of the kid.

Please note I still refer to him as a "kid".  Do I think he's cute?  Sure I do - just like I might think a friends' 15 year old is growing up and is a "cute kid".  As in - a VERY NON-SEXUAL WAY.   I will hope that all the screaming moms that appeared in the movie are just obsessed with him because they wished he were their son.  Because thinking that they would obsess over him for any other reason totally makes me throw up in my mouth a little.  So for my sanity that's my assumption and I'm stickin' to it.

But I digress.

First I'd like to call out all the hostile comments on FB!!  Why the hatin' peeps??  Y'all know I love Twilight.  Why would it be so much of a leap that I'd go see the Bieber movie??  ; )

But in all honesty it wasn't all that bad.  It was a documentary after all.  So for the adults that were there providing supervision for the younger movie goers it really did provide interesting insight into the kid's background, his family and how he got to where he is today.

I'll tell you the highlights that would be interesting from an adult perspective:

• He was raised be a teen aged mother and her parents.  He has a phenomenal family that keeps him grounded.  Let's hope it stays that way.
• He really is musically talented.  They showed home video of him beating out difficult rhythms when we was probably only 4 or so.  His mom had a bunch of musical friends from church that were always jamming and those were the guys that got him into playing drums and then guitar.  (he really plays a LOT of instruments)
• He really has paid his dues.  He is not a product of the Disney or Nickelodeon "machine". 

But of course the people making the video knew the people coming to see the movie would be the little girls.  So between periods of storytelling of his background and interviews with people involved in his life, career and concerts (Usher, LA Reid, Snoop Dog, Boys II Men, among others)  there are full song performances clipped from live concerts with a back story of following Justin up to his performance at Madison Square Garden.

Did I mention this movie is in 3D??

Did I mention that a year and three days after this kid from Canada started his whirlwind journey he performed at MADISON SQUARE GARDEN?? 
As the HEADLINER?!?! 
And he sold out the venue in 22 MINUTES!!!

And who says kids don't influence their parent's buying power??

Would I suggest you go watch the movie?  Hell no!  You'd look like a pedophile scopin' out fresh meat. 
Would I suggest you rent the movie in the future?  If you want to.  That's up to you.
But I would like you to know, even you turn the station when his music comes on the radio, that this kid is for real, he's not the product of a machine and he probably will be around for a while, like it or not.

And he is a cutie pie!!!  How do you NOT want to like a cutie 16 or 17 year old that is genuine and nice and sweet?  Especially at that age, in that kind of spotlight that's a tough combination.  So I'm not ashamed to add him to my cutie pie list.

Worldly Toilets

I finally got the building owner to agree to install a new toilet in the women's bathroom in our office.  The three of us gals were getting sick of having to plunge it on a regular basis. 

But we finally got the new toilet last week.  One of those fancy two-buttoners.  Now we just have to figure out which button is which.  Being in marketing I'm NOT impressed with the icons on the buttons.  NOT intuitive.  The designer needs to be fired.  I should call Home Depot and tell them this is precisely why they are losing marketing share to Lowes....  (toilet is a Glacier Bay, HD private label brand)  I digress....

While the three of us were determining the proper uses for each button we started discussing toilets in other parts of the world. 

In Egypt I continually encountered a toilet that had a hole in the bottom with a very small plastic or rubber tube (smaller diameter of a pencil) attached under the seat that ran a small stream of water into the bowl.  There were no flushing mechanisms.  You went and the water rinsed any "extras" down to the hole.  Where did the hole lead??  I have no idea.  I encountered these types of toilets at touristy places.  However "western-type" hotels had "western-type" toilets.

My greatest toilet story ever -  Mainland China after having gone through customs via Hong Kong.  Our only woman Asian host was waiting at the car while the other men made their own pit stops or grabbed a snack before we carried on further into the mainland.  For some reason now that I can't recall I had my computer backpack on while I was standing in line at the ladies room.  I was easily a head taller than all the tiny Chinese women waiting in line with me.  When it was my turn I walked up to the stall, opened the door and shut it behind me before I even took notice of what was in the stall.  Or rather, what wasn't in the stall.

It was a hole in the floor.  Literally.  Just a hole in the floor.

I was standing there with a computer in a backpack over my shoulders staring at a hole in the floor and I was about to pee myself.  My first thought "This is why I have these quads, baby!!  Limber up!"

So I do what any American would probably do.  I faced the door, dropped my pants and did the most amazing camping squat I have ever done in my entire life.  Not a drop out of place, thank you very much!

When I got back to the car our female host, Helen, looked mortified.  She began to apologize profusely as she must have realized, too late, to give me a heads up as to what to expect.  (especially when she saw I still had my backpack on!!  I thought all the funny looks I was getting in the bathroom was because I was a tall American.  It was probably more because I obviously had a really heavy bag on my back.  Little did I know....)  She also explained that it's customary in this type of stall to walk in and continue to face the wall while "going".  Makes sense.  If someone were to accidentally walk in on you would you rather them see you all splayed out or just catch your back side???

In all fairness I should note that while in Hong Kong I only experienced "western" toilets.  And even while in mainland China - out at our factory, essentially in the "sticks", out hotel had "western-style" toilets as well.  Customs was the only place I encountered the "hole in the floor" variety. 

Of course in Europe I recall having to pay-to-pee.  Do they still do that for public restrooms?  The last few times I was in Europe I was there for work and did not have the "privledge" of having to use a public WC.

And as I'm writing this I'm wondernig if MadHatter made it all the way through this post...