holding down the sand castle

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Surprise!

I dare not ask APC to relay the alarming phone-camera pix of the bushels of hair on the floor.

Called yesterday and got a cancellation-spot for this morning. Better than the Chia-Pet post-baby regrowth. I'm assured "Bangs are BACK!"

Grandpa Mike Crab: Chris (the stylist) said, "This is Dorothy Hamill NOW!"

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Striking a chord with mothers (and fathers) everywhere...well, at least the ones on Facebook today.

My status at 7:39 a.m. this morning.
Freshly-dispensed installment in an ongoing lecture series delivered to sons. Today's topic: "Responding to One's Name." I'm exhausted and they are still oblivious.
Translation from perky/witty Facebookese:
Delivered a scathing rant to J-crabs over their surly and generally bratty reaction to my directives. Their reaction to criticism invited more and more criticism as I enlarged the circle of critique to include their treatment of GMK, their general ability to imitate that most admirable of creatures - the sloth, and even touched upon my belief that they are not even very efficient at exchanging carbon dioxide for oxygen.

Heather at 7:47am June 2
How about inviting the G---g boys over to hear that lecture and adding on to the series "responding when asked to do something" and "responding the first time when asked to go to the car when getting picked up from school, practice, a game, etc.," I guess those would be the advanced/AP courses. Translation: Heather screams, too.

Barbara at 7:54am June 2
why don't you start messing with them and calling them completely different names to their faces when asking them to do sand like 'Arnold" and 'Damien" and 'Frederick"? It just might flummox them so much that they'll go "huh" (mom's nuts, we better listen to her) Translation: Barbara is into psychological operations. Note to self: spend more time with Barbara, learn from the Master.

Stephen at 8:17am June 2
I recommend lengthy PPT presentations to bore them into submission. "Don't make me get the animated clip art out!" Stephen would be an ally to the Sand Crab.

Jennifer at 8:22am June 2
I frequently showcase a series entitled,"No Cartoons or Video Games." Jennifer is super-nice and has youngsters so she's still optimistic. Note to self: Keep the J-crabs away from Jennifer so that she does not become prematurely jaded.

Laura at 8:23am June 2
::giggle:: Topic also relevant to husbands and significant others.

Amy at 8:49am June 2
The companion lecture series at our campus is "I've told you 1000 times not to (insert activity prohibited since child's birth).. " and as you well know, when you have a seven year old child, you actually HAVE told them things 1000 times: it is not an exaggeration. Again, the standardized testing (but mom I forgot) seems to reveal we need more hands-on- experience. Love that Amy has a satellite campus, too. And love that she's using the data.

Moira at 8:51am June 2
Mini-syllabus for today, Heather, actually included:
* Seeing things to do so that your name need not be uttered by an adult in the first place.
* Responding to whispers and indoor tones so that adult speaker need not resort to bellows and shrieks.
* Acknowledgment of said attention to request.

Guest lecturers welcome.

Babs, they already rarely get called by the right name, but will give some consideration to your suggestion. An interesting sociological experiment to be sure!

Thomas at 8:56am June 2
Elizabeth (my wife) asked the doctors to add her voice to the hearing test. She is convinced that the frequency she speaks at is neither tested for nor audible to kids under 12... you may experience similar hearing loss in your young ones. Terrible!
My cousin clearly married a proactive and CrabQueen-approved woman.

Janet at 9:55am June 2
OK. Barbara -- I read your response two hours ago, met a friend for coffee, returned home and STILL have not stopped laughing. Love that Janet. She is APC, only for a different family.

Tina at 10:31am June 2
Too funny-I started calling my kids different names when we were at stores so people wouldn't start to think that boys who were named Kyle or Daniel could only be bad. They still respond to Henry or Pete. In fact, my younger son still thinks that Pete is a 2nd middle name. If you publish this series-please let me know the price (if it works!!) Wonder if "Caw, caw..." in public qualifies. They do respond to bird calls much more quickly and positively than their given monikers.

Elaine at 11:52am June 2
The phenomenon is not restricted to the male. Female children are similarly afflicted with selective hearing. Although frequently the problem is exacerbated when the child being called is not actually named the name that is being called. The appropriate response from the adult in this situation is: "You know what I mean!"
Elaine's the pal that has to ruin all the fun. Here I was thinking LLGA was going to be my one, my only eager to execute any command uttered by her beloved Mama. Drat!

Amy #2 at 11:56am June 2
I agree that the adult is often the problem! I can't begin to count the number of times my Dad has been looking straight at me but then called me by both of my sister's name before finally remembering who I was!

Holly at 1:34pm June 2
I'm going to side with the theory that a mother's voice falls into a mysteriously unhearable range of frequencies and suggest resorting to whispering all commands, followed by increasingly fearful consequences for those who miss said commands until they're all following you around waiting for you to say something....
Note to self: Self, "increasingly fearful consequences" demand additional communiques between self and Holly for ideas and tips.

Kelli at 1:42pm June 2
At the park today, we found that having the opposite mother call out the name somehow caught them offguard and they forgot to ignore.
Since I have an "opposite mother" in the form of
WonderTwin Power Activate: GMK! and that's not working, I'm thinking the key is having the unfamiliar voice. Note to self: Add voice-changer tech-gadget to amazon wish list.

O Happy Day!

Major Bathroom Improvement Day.

In the 6 o'clock hour, I was scrubbing and spritzing my new BFF, Urine Off!

By noon, I was beholding a glistening new commode and, better yet, and better than an Easy-Off Oven: an Easy Off wall surface. Look closely below, the "wainscotting" is actually a plastic sheet like one would use to line a shower. A brilliant solution to my request to help me with my sons' mass propensity to miss the target.

The 2 little maintenance guys (who are, in fact, regulation-size people) testified that there was indeed "much pee" behind the plastic "baseboard". "That made the smell."

Alejandro admitted that this was the Very First Time in his lengthy employment with housing that a resident had asked to photograph him. I always suspected that I was his favorite (er, wackiest) resident. He's a great sport, isn't he?

So pretty!

Alejandro said the kindest things about our family and housing's commitment to working with special needs residents. He did allow that "You have unique situation and we understand. It is tough."

I did call the Housing Manager Lady and lay on a thick layer of I-love-the-maintenance-guys icing on. "I thought it was awesome when you added the A-------n Clause of Possums as Covered Pests, but the new bathroom upgrades surpass even Dead Possum Removal." GMK guffawed in the background when I said, "I have the same kids, the same house, the same problems but that omnipresent smell of urine is bye-bye and that makes all the difference."

Photo catch-up

LLGA in her sweet flower jammies.

Sunday morning, GMK in her new, chic 'do brought "Lucky doughnuts" to the heathens.

Lucy v. Pears ... sepia tones because of weird coloration.

Failtastic #3

But it doesn't stop there, Failtastic Fans.

Jamie had his last regular-season game of the year last night. GMK drove him for drop-off.

While at home/preparing dinner between warm-up and game-time, GMK mentions that she chipped in $10 for a Coach's gift.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

Someone sidled up to her and said, "You're Jamie's Grandma, right? I'm collecting money for gifts for our coaches." So GMK forked over $10 of her own cash-stash.

"But she hit me -- "you're Jamie's mom, right?" -- last week at practice. And I gave $15!"

We compared notes and it was the Very Same person. I went a bit ballistic as she was asking each family for $10 and there's 12 families and she told GMK she'd collected $150 (before the $10 from GMK's wallet!). Hullo, Math Whiz, 12 x $10 = $120! Instructed GMK to ask for her money back.

The scam-dar is up, engaged, and locked on. Because when GMK went back to the ballfield for the game, this supposed-parent was nowhere to be found. Grrr!

What kind of do-gooder begs cash from the kid's grandmother?! Imposter! Charlatan! Or, maybe (just maybe) someone is roving the planet of Little League even more disorganized and bedraggled than the CQ.

Failtastic #2

So, on the heels of my Scented Surprise (see post below), GMK calls me from the Naval Hospital. She'd gone with our paramedic Tim-helper to take Tim for a many-times-deferred tooth extraction.

Well, GMK had told me that Tim wouldn't be able to go back to school after the tooth was pulled. What she hadn't told me (and I am certain was not told to her at the routine appointment the CQ skipped) was that Tim needed to fast for 3 hours BEFORE the procedure so that the dentist could use "happy juice" (aka, nitrous oxide).

Needless to say, given a 1:30 p.m. appointment, Tim's school had indeed allowed Tim to eat his sack lunch around noon.

Big, fat DO-OVER since the CQ told the dentist that, no, she wasn't looking to find out if Tim would nauseate during the procedure and, no, she wasn't looking for Tim to wander the hospital grounds (SWINE FLU!) for a couple of hours to give his tummy time to clear and then get the tooth pulled.

So we have a 22 June appointment for the Naval Crab to take his son. Welcome home, honey! (If Pa Crab is even home by then!!)

Monday, June 1, 2009

Today's Failtastic Moment

Charlie-boy was home from school all last week. This means that his backpack was hermetically sealed since May 22. Remember, we are the family battling sinus symptoms so when I threw a Capri Sun Roaring Waters pouch and a ziplock of pretzels in his snack bag, I wasn't exactly a perfume-tester.

Today, I retrieved Charlie-boy from his bus. Walked him into the castle and thought, wonder how his day went/let's check his home/school communication log.

The last entry was "5/22: Charlie had a bowel movement at school today. He went in the toilet, only barely made it so he has dirty underwear in his backpack. Thanks, [Charlie's aide]"

Oh, yes, it was wrapped in a paper towel and placed -- not knotted or sealed, mind you -- into an open plastic sack in the main compartment of his backpack.

An epic failure resulting in a new location: the garbage bin outside.

And it's just early afternoon Pacific Time...there's still time to out-do this gem!

Welcome, Newcomers.

The "Sand Gloss" glossary below identifies the cast of characters and may assist in following the antics described herein.

This blog initially began as a "Deployment Journal" -- a way to keep our far-flung family and friends updated about our brood and as a companion to my hubby's own deployment mass-communication.

It has since evolved into more photographic journalism with the birth of Lucy. The "castle" is best understood in chronological order.

"Followers" are most encouraged. (That means you, Patty Grace/Kiki/Triplets!) All, please feel free to contribute; I welcome comments as they are usually wittier and more urbane than my posts.

Sand "Gloss"

Gloss = slang for glossary. I am providing this handy-dandy decoder for those of you who have indicated a need to be educated. I will add to this gloss as questions are forwarded or as new gloss is manufactured.

APC = Aunt Patty Cake. The Queen's younger sister. Technically, we should probably refer to her as "Princess Patty Cake." Definitely in the running for AOTY (Aunt of the Year) nationwide. (For further background information, please see "Patty" entry below).

Ass power = Ass power can be defined as the most powerful form of inertia. It can help you survive a tough class, an ignorant person, or another "worst-case scenario". I suppose you could call it "perseverance" but that's so close to the word "perseverative" and, besides, it's just more fun to incorporate the word "ass" into everyday speech.

"Audacity of Awesomeness" = The title of Sand Crab's fictional work of non-fiction, as coined by Pat Eric. Suggested as an entree to meeting visiting dignitaries (i.e., Senator Obama). Specific usage, "Have you read MY book, The Audacity of Awesomeness?" Meant to suggest that Sand Crab is not only possessing of awesomeness but also that he has audacious amounts of this quality.

A-word = Autism spectrum disorders, any and all, including Pervasive Developmental Disorder, PDD/NOS (not otherwise specified), Autism, Asperger Syndrome, and anything else the DSM creates to describe difficulty with social relatedness, language and acquisition of adaptive skills. Hate the game, not the player.

Big-Boy Briefs = Male equivalent of "Big-Girl Panties" (below).

Big-Girl Panties = Being an adult. Summoning one's at-risk maturity to do something unpleasant, to brave adversity, or even to speak to someone who potentially ruined a career of someone near-and-dear. No actual costume change required as fictional undergarments are implied.

BFF = Best Friends Forever. Clearly, there is sarcasm intended when I suggest that NSA (National Security Agency) analysts, who I am certain listen in on some of the Combat Crab-to-Crab Queen rants, er, calls, are my BFFs.

Big Sled Dog = Eldest crablet.

Cake = Besides being APC's surname (and wouldn't THAT be enough of an honor), in the Crab Queen's opinion, this is Nature's Most Nearly Perfect Food. Hence, worthy (and disasterous) cakes are occasionally inserted in this blog to remind readers of the benefits of a high-frosting diet and the art form that a good cake can offer.

Cake-eyes = Wide-eyed, wildly-euphoric expression. Positively correlated to the presence of a store-bought cake. Believed to be a dominant gene passed along the maternal family line.

Cake vultures = Plural. Persons who happen upon a tasty, frosted baked good and suddenly transform into a well-behaved, eager potential cake-eater. Alas, this behavior often expires with the disappearance of the serving of cake.

Chore = Expected task that crablets will perform in exchange for food, shelter, clothing, transportation, education, extracurricular activities, healthcare, and occasionally candy or sugar-based sodas. Further reinforcement in the article of electronic entertainment, unusual reward, or financial compensation is excluded.

Combat Crab = A nifty reference for Ben. It avoids the need to attribute rank; however, he will cease to be called "Combat Crab" when he turns in his "Battle-Rattle."

Commander Crab = Navy rank equivalent to Lieutenant Colonel Crab. With the trading in of a thin stripe for a thicker one (and coloration change of collar insignia) effective 9/8/08, Pa Crab is no longer Major or Lieutenant Commander Crab. Basically, here in the Castle, we like to have as many possible pseudonyms in play at any one time as possible.

Countdown = See also "Splashdown". Definition #1: To look forward with gleeful anticipation to reunification of Familia Crab. Definition #2: To realistically plan for homecoming by gently, systematically reminding Returning Crab of CQ's fiscally-liberal spending habits and crabby nature; Big Sled Dog's disinclination to Respect the Drywall; J Crab, Sr.'s sheer flakiness; J Crab, Jr's propensity for All Behaviors Surly; Charlie's skills in age-equivalencies; and LLGA's distrust of all adult males.

Crabiot = A crablet acting like an idiot. And by idiot, I mean acting like he's neither met a behavior plan nor remembered the reinforcer (e.g., Wii) he'll be forfeiting.

Crablet = Offspring of Sand Crab & the Missus. Often used in the plural because, as Sand Crab often notes, QUANTITY has a QUALITY all its own!

Crab Queen = Mrs. Crab (me).

The 'Der = (Der) Weinerschnitzel. A fast-food establishment that serves cheap n' cheerful hot-dog-centric fare. The staff of no fewer than TWO locations know me by my order (chili fries with NO CHEESE and a medium Pepsi), which LLGA apparently considers in utero soulfood.

Dumb-ass Doughnuts = Not just for breakfast anymore, these baked goodies are a close culinary cousin and frequent accompaniment to "Jack-ass Juice". Ingestion of said doughnuts grants ingestor the propensity to say dumb things and do dumb things. Example: Remove mandatory spectacles from bridge of nose whilst still under the visual surveillance of one's grandmother and resident "hall monitor!".

Fabuloso (TM) = 1. Trademark-protected, lavender-scented, cleaning product concentrate. 2. GMK's leading weapon in the War Against the "Kids' Bathroom Smells Like Urine", which overwhelms anyone with a functional olfactory system. (As in the "fabulous cleaning product" is WAY more intense than the lingering parfum of Eau des Enfants). 3. Prospective name for LLGA if Sand Crab doesn't rally since the trademark only applies to products for sale, not babies. 4. A basic catch-all reference, intended to imply a "fix" for whatever ails you -- commensurate with Windex (TM) from My Big Fat Greek Wedding in the hands of the father.

GMK = 1. Acronym for Grandma Mary Kay. 2. She Who Has Temporarily but For a Prolonged Period Forfeited a Lifestyle of Carefree Retirement to Slavishly Ply the Boys' Bathroom with Copious Amounts of "Fabuloso" Cleaner, Make Near-Daily Jaunts to Von's Grocery, and Ensure that Any Morsel of Uneaten Food is Lovingly Packaged in Foil or Baggies and Saved in the Back of the Refrigerator for Posterity. All This While Sleeping on a (High-Quality) Leather Sofa Since the Luxurious Raised Queen Aerobed Remains Unshipped By Amazon Despite Its Early July Order Date. 3. Woman Desperately Deserving of a Blog Pseudonym. (Nominations Being Accepted).

Great Pottery Barn Kids (TM) Stocking Debacle (heretofore known as, GPBKSD) = 1. Severe disappointment made worse by the anticipation of a UPS delivery. 2. A promise delivered only in portions...portions guaranteed to drive "Whole Sets Only" Crab Queen into conniptions. 3. Evidence that there's almost always a solution to be found ... just not necessarily able to be produced by someone at a 1-800 phone number. 4. A reason to cry in front of one's mother-in-law. YIKES.

IA = Individual Augmentee, or why Sand Crab is playing Army guy in the sandbox.

IEP = Individualized Educational Program. What the District promises to provide each special education student, under federal law (called the IDEA), will be provided in order for the student to receive a FAPE (free appropriate public education). Entails lots of paper, meetings, and heartburn.

Jack-Ass Juice = What crablets and their pals drink that incites acts of pure stupidity. Something other than genetics or poor child-rearing to explain inane behavior, opinion, or statement exuding from one's offspring. Credit to Patty Grace's Great-Uncle?

J-Crabs = The duo of Jack and Jamie.

LLGA = Lovely Little Girl A--------n. Kudos to Patty Lisa NYC for the acronym that is infinitely speedier to type than the alternative: "inbound and much-heralded female crablet currently still in utero." Kudos to Patty SW for the real down-low: The Little Baby with the Unpronounceable Name.

Major Crab = Yet another pseudonym for our hero, the Sand Crab. Not intended to suggest that he has transferred into the US Army, as he remains a Naval officer.

MOTY = Mother of the Year. A fictitious competition which awards prizes to mothers who, among other criteria:
pick spending time with their offspring on Mother's Day to running to the mall or spa;
enjoy cooking meals for their picky-eater offspring, kneading, mixing, cutting, and generally slaving away with love and good humor;
volunteer endless hours with teachers who do not call the maternal one a b-word in the teacher's lounge;
drive the vanpool and never-never use questionable language or indirect threats toward passengers under the age of majority;
iron their children's clothing for other than special occasions;
tie their children's shoelaces without commenting, "aren't you old enough to have figured this skill out by now?";
have dollar-bills at the ready awaiting last-minute lunch account emergencies, school library fines, and the ice cream truck music from the street outside;
never-ever miss a dose of medicine;
never-ever forget an appointment;
refrain from semi-apoplectic hollering when Sweet Offspring neglect to plan ahead for a massive school project;
have a supply of poster board, tri-fold display boards, glue sticks, markers, colored pencils, scallopped bulletin board edging, and an at-the-ready, brand-new color cartridge just aching to be used to print out internet images and articles;
at all times have healthful snacks available (whether at the park, in the car, in the lunchbox, or in the kitchen) and plentiful choices of same;
tend to their ill children with love and constant surveillance (rather than handing the child a stockpot and getting other things done);
read to their obedient offspring each night with patience and enjoyment;
limit their progeny to one TV show or DVD per week;
firmly but lovingly implement a consistent disciplinary program including taking away that single opportunity at the electronic babysitter (TV) when required;
and
never once has said, "You're lucky to have a house to live in with a family like us!"

Mouse-piss = GMK's husband's euphemism for the omnipresent-in-the-Castle 32-oz. bottles of Target-brand (TM) hand sanitizer.

Nguyen = Certifiably crazy parking troll; verbal altercation was topic of posting c. May 27th.

OOO = Out of Order. Meaning my blog posting. Occasionally, the behavior of the characters therein.

Pat ____ = Characters of the male persuasion that make more than one appearance in this blog and that I find easier to nickname than to describe. (Exceptions: Darrin, because to nickname him would dilute the power of his given name; Pate, because he's worn an Easter Bunny costume in the name of A------n children joy; and Patrick, because, Pat Pat just sounds wrong).

Patty ____ = Female characters that make somewhat routine appearances in this blog. See definition of Pat. (Example: Aunt Patty Cake, who is indeed an aunt to crablets).

PITA = Acronym for "Pain in the Arse". Probably should've been PITS (pain in the shell) but I wasn't clever enough. Besides, Pita rhymes with Rita!

Plague = Just what it sounds like. Any curse, infestation, illness, misfortune, significant inconvenience, malady, et cetera that afflicts the Family Crab courtesy of the lightning rod of bad luck affixed to our roof OR the cold, hard fact that Sand Crab's real name is Job.

POA = Power Of Attorney. That document that sets me apart from just a wife ... changing me into COMNAVWIFEPAC, a woman able to leap small buildings, tackle medium problems, and buy BIG ticket items (vans, houses, LAND).

Potato/Spud/Tuber = Reference to the World's Dumbest Sex Ed (oh, I mean "Family Life") Project in which Jack had to carry around a 'tater in a shoe box for weeks.

Roundinia = A mystical, magical land where one's social status is positively correlated to the apple-ness of one's cheeks. In short, a place where Lucy is the ruler of all she surveys and her bidding is done, spit-spot, in order to elicit a grin.

Sand = Except when used with "box" and "castle", a place-holding word for any one of numerous expletives. After all, this is a Family Blog. Usage includes: singular or plural noun, verb, adjective, and even adverb. Often used with hyphens to convey extra-gritty adventures.

Sandbox = Iraq or surrounding desert lands, unless reference to Charlie is made and then please assume that he is in a pile of sand right here in So-Cal.

Sand Castle = Our quarters here in military family housing or the place we call home.

Splashdown = Return/Reunion/Homecoming after protracted absence. Significant features include: * Non-deployed spouse will not have evolved into a supermodel, much to the disappointment of deployed spouse; * Exaggerated expectations of the loveliness of one's family members; * Myopic memories of the helpfulness of one's deployed spouse; * Suppressed recollection of how noisy, visually-chaotic and smelly the crablets are; * Development of an overly-ambitious "honey-do" List; * Overwhelming pile of deployment-smelling, all-one-color laundry that will need a home; *Realization that encroachment of closet space and drawers has occurred; * Outward conveyances of both frustration at the encroachment and reversal of encroachment; * Tendency for returning spouse to want to revisit financial decisions (or conduct a casual audit of statements) that can only End Badly; * Overeagerness on part of returning spouse to hook up a Big Orange Chute to the house and offload what has been packratted by non-deploying spouse; and *Reluctance on part of non-deploying spouse to part with packratted items. See also: Countdown.

Therapies = OT is Occupational Therapy; PT is Physical Therapy; SLP is Speech Therapy; ABA is Applied Behavior Analysis (good luck understanding that one); and DTT is Discrete Trial Training (ditto).

Therapists (not defined above) = AT is Assistive Technology; and APE is Adaptive Physical Education (or spec ed PE).

UNSAT = Navy-ese (or perhaps Military-ese) for the word "unsatisfactory." The word is not intended to be uttered, but spat from one's cake-hole. Since you cannot really spit a multi-syllabic word like "un-sat-is-fac-tor-y", it is "Un-SAT". Rhymes with "SPAT". Try it. You'll adopt it into your everyday lexicon in no time flat. (If on the receiving end, take a step back or face the incoming salvo of spittle).

"Virtual Jamie" = Akin to Jack's "mini-me" (aka, Spud), this character entered the Castle on 2/24/09. He is both a virtual buddy AND a potential weapon as he has a long wooden stick extending downward from his grape. But, as an improvement on the actual Jamie, our "Virtual Jamie" doesn't back-talk or scowl -- as a pert smile permanently graces his face. (Sadly, "Virtual Jamie" is not much at putting away laundry or picking up toys...and doesn't have much of a Little League future ahead of him). But he's cheap, cheerful and brings our offspring to an even half-dozen...so he stays until he splinters.

Wal-Mart (TM) Moment = Represents the most-public of "told-you-so" moments. Let's say that you get into a verbal banter with one's spouse or immediate family member. Let's say that the spouse or immediate family member has taken a position that is so ridiculous or patently false that it causes beyond normal levels of consternation and cannot be let go without providing hard, irrefutable evidence that, for lack of better description: "I'm right, s/he's wrong." So to provide indemnification for the slighted party (i.e., the one who was right and had to endure massive annoyance over the other party being STOOPID), the K------a family has arrived at a (as-yet theoretical) fix: The Wal-Mart (TM) Moment. Now for the "How-to" part of the definition...First, family piles into various vehicles with destination of Wal-Mart (TM)'s parking lot.
Second, family spreads out throughout lot to notify the loiterers and other lingering greater public that there is about to be a give-away of Copenhagen (or Skoal) chewing tobacco (and provides the coordinates of the proved-correct and proved-wrong parties). Third, once a reasonable crowd of chew-longing persons has assembled, the right party (again, theoretically) would have his/her hiney kissed by the wrong party. Fourth, as additional justice, everyone points at the wrong party and says the whole Copenhagen Stunt was his/her idea and they face an aggrieved throng of deprived nicotine-cravers. The issue of whether a winter-on-the-frozen-tundra Wal-Mart (TM) moment is equitable was decided that while the spectators are somewhat less enthusiastic and numerous, the wind chill factor compensates. In winter conditions, (again theoretically), the wrong party is required to drop trou and the right party remains bundled in umpteen layers.

Wii = Electronic gaming system, manufactured by Nintendo, with various games and accessories available. Retails at $350 or so, depending on where you can actually find it in stock. Essentially, the procurement of said item would be a J-Crabs' Dream-Come-True and, thus, will not. (Amended definition: Purchased for $250 by one S. Claus. The Dream-Came-True but is frequently in Time-Out).

Care Packages for Sand Crab?

Please note NEW address again (effective 10/2008):

CDR Ben A--------n
HQs, MNF-I CJ5
APO AE 09342

Did you know?

USPS offers a package of free packing materials, including 10 boxes, 10 customs forms with envelopes, 10 "Mili-Pac" shipping envelopes, which are specially printed to reflect the complexities of military mailing addresses, and a roll of Priority Mail tape.

To order the special kit, call (800) 610-8734 and request Care Kit 4. The Postal Service will ship it by Priority Mail, with delivery generally within a couple of days.

Although the packing materials are free, shippers must still pay normal postage costs.