Moxie Crimefighter
Moxy Crimefighter
I'm finally done traveling for a few months. My trip to Ft. Lauderdale was ... kinda ridiculous. I mean I was there to accept an award for "Excellence in Education", to attend a bunch of conferences and to eat. That was the plan. I did in fact do all of those things but it wasn't like I thought it'd be. See now, the same time that 2000 teachers congregated in the convention center about the same amount of spring breakers were in FL to lose brain cells. So basically I experienced what it's like when you take the two VERY different groups of people, add alcohol and stir.
At the end of the conferences they (meaning my company) gave us green bracelets that basically let us in to any of the local establishments and we got two free drinks. So the responsible, business clad groups of adults all trickled into the night life which was swollen to the gills with overly tanned 20 year olds wearing what looked like nothing but rubber bands.
The bracelets were what made it funny because the teachers were all marked. Oh look that girl that is up on the bar dancing and groping herself - she's a teacher. So is the one taking off her clothes in the foam party and the one freak dancing with the college student, also a teacher. Earlier in the day we were learning about the importance of getting after school programs started in New Orleans again. We were giving standing ovations to a young man who had given a speech about making good choices through the guidance of his teachers. Now, apparently we're doing body shots and attempting to pop-and-lock while the black light makes our grey hair glow.
Honestly, it was too much fun to watch. I really enjoyed it.
I stayed out ALLLL night from Thursday to Friday. My roommate at the hotel snored soo loudly that I had a hard time sleeping at all when I was in the room anyway. So I decided to just enjoy Florida, the weather, the ocean and the idiots. :)
My new friends Jen and Kristen and I danced off the extra calories we took in from the amazing food earlier in the day, people watched and then walked along the ocean back to the hotel to meet the airport convoy for my VERY early flight. As Jen and I walked back we had two cars stop and the spring breaker boys inside offered us rides to "you know, wherever". We politely declined but one of the cars decided we just needed a little persuasion. When we let them know we were sober and too smart for that they agreed saying "good point, have a great night ladies!"
Seriously through the whole trip I've never been hit on more in my life. We got offered drink after drink, yacht rides and all kinds off odd flattery. One guy even tried his smooth moves while in cuffs and accompanied by two police men.
The "So, where you from?" question would have got increasingly old had it not been for a new answer every time. Alaska (to which one guy said, "really I don't hear an Alaskan accent." wtf?), Hawaii, and then when I didn't want to offer an obvious follow up question, I decided I was from Duluth Minnesota. Not much they can do with that.
At one point my name was Moxy Crimefighter. :)
The trip over all was great. I got to paint a Greek replica and bring it home. We learned how to stack cups competitively. We ate AMAZING food and some of us stuffed a toy duck :)
I wasn't ready to leave the 80+ degree weather and my new friends but when I got home and got a hug from Ry I felt happy to be here. There was so much going on down there I didn't realize how much I missed him. He's my favorite.
P.S. I have to say that the hotel (The Hyatt) was amazing. I've never stayed at a hotel that isn't child friendly. There was no Disney Channel option on the flat screen TV's. They had yacht docking parking spots all along the perimeter of the grounds. The multiple novelty shaped pools were open all night long with no surrounding fences and no liability rules posted. The pools had arch ways over them that lit up and changed color and the pools themselves were lit with motion sensor colored lights that made everyone look gorgeous during a midnight swim. The picture above left is of the hot tub. Big-ola. In the background you can see one of the swim under-able water falls. That arch way changed color at night. It was mesmerizing.
I'm finally done traveling for a few months. My trip to Ft. Lauderdale was ... kinda ridiculous. I mean I was there to accept an award for "Excellence in Education", to attend a bunch of conferences and to eat. That was the plan. I did in fact do all of those things but it wasn't like I thought it'd be. See now, the same time that 2000 teachers congregated in the convention center about the same amount of spring breakers were in FL to lose brain cells. So basically I experienced what it's like when you take the two VERY different groups of people, add alcohol and stir.
At the end of the conferences they (meaning my company) gave us green bracelets that basically let us in to any of the local establishments and we got two free drinks. So the responsible, business clad groups of adults all trickled into the night life which was swollen to the gills with overly tanned 20 year olds wearing what looked like nothing but rubber bands.
The bracelets were what made it funny because the teachers were all marked. Oh look that girl that is up on the bar dancing and groping herself - she's a teacher. So is the one taking off her clothes in the foam party and the one freak dancing with the college student, also a teacher. Earlier in the day we were learning about the importance of getting after school programs started in New Orleans again. We were giving standing ovations to a young man who had given a speech about making good choices through the guidance of his teachers. Now, apparently we're doing body shots and attempting to pop-and-lock while the black light makes our grey hair glow.
Honestly, it was too much fun to watch. I really enjoyed it.
I stayed out ALLLL night from Thursday to Friday. My roommate at the hotel snored soo loudly that I had a hard time sleeping at all when I was in the room anyway. So I decided to just enjoy Florida, the weather, the ocean and the idiots. :)
My new friends Jen and Kristen and I danced off the extra calories we took in from the amazing food earlier in the day, people watched and then walked along the ocean back to the hotel to meet the airport convoy for my VERY early flight. As Jen and I walked back we had two cars stop and the spring breaker boys inside offered us rides to "you know, wherever". We politely declined but one of the cars decided we just needed a little persuasion. When we let them know we were sober and too smart for that they agreed saying "good point, have a great night ladies!"
Seriously through the whole trip I've never been hit on more in my life. We got offered drink after drink, yacht rides and all kinds off odd flattery. One guy even tried his smooth moves while in cuffs and accompanied by two police men.
The "So, where you from?" question would have got increasingly old had it not been for a new answer every time. Alaska (to which one guy said, "really I don't hear an Alaskan accent." wtf?), Hawaii, and then when I didn't want to offer an obvious follow up question, I decided I was from Duluth Minnesota. Not much they can do with that.
At one point my name was Moxy Crimefighter. :)
The trip over all was great. I got to paint a Greek replica and bring it home. We learned how to stack cups competitively. We ate AMAZING food and some of us stuffed a toy duck :)
I wasn't ready to leave the 80+ degree weather and my new friends but when I got home and got a hug from Ry I felt happy to be here. There was so much going on down there I didn't realize how much I missed him. He's my favorite.
P.S. I have to say that the hotel (The Hyatt) was amazing. I've never stayed at a hotel that isn't child friendly. There was no Disney Channel option on the flat screen TV's. They had yacht docking parking spots all along the perimeter of the grounds. The multiple novelty shaped pools were open all night long with no surrounding fences and no liability rules posted. The pools had arch ways over them that lit up and changed color and the pools themselves were lit with motion sensor colored lights that made everyone look gorgeous during a midnight swim. The picture above left is of the hot tub. Big-ola. In the background you can see one of the swim under-able water falls. That arch way changed color at night. It was mesmerizing.