Thursday Happenings in Kansas City

The problem with vacations seems to be the coming home to the "stuff" that has piled up during the week or so that you have been gone.  We have been trying to get caught up this week. So today's post isn't particularly entertaining.  It's more of what has taken up my week.  Call it a whiny-whiny synopsis of Cheryl's week.

It didn't help our cause that last Monday was the day from hell for travelers.  Not just hubby and I but the whole flippin' country was having airport issues. 

Our flight out of Baltimore was supposed to be a 9:10 flight to Midway in Chicago.  After two weather related delays it looked like we were going to take off at 11ish.  Yahoo...well maybe not.  We did take off but 45 minutes into the flight, the pilot announced that that Midway had closed due to a fire in a control tower and that we were being diverted to Indianapolis. 

After landing in Indy we sat on the tarmac for not quite and hour and we were back on our way to Chicago. Around 2ish we are at Midway but we had long missed our connecting flight to Kansas City.  In all fairness it seems that a few thousand other folks had missed their flights also, so it isn't like we were alone in our misery.  

When we finally made our way to the Southwest desk to try to get on another flight, the clerk insisted that all people that had missed their earlier flights (like we did that on purpose!!) had to be put on stand by for the next flight to their destination.  In our case there was a flight going to KC at 3:55. 

The good news is that we did get to board the plane...but the bad news is that our luggage did not.

Finally after getting to KC, we filed our bags as missing and made our way home.

The rest of the week took an ugly turn with another development.

Our 10 month old grandson has the worst case of chickenpox in the history of chickenpox. 

Just imagine a few hundred watery blisters across our little G-Boy.

What makes me crazy about this is there is a vaccine to prevent chickenpox but children don't get the vaccine until they are between one and three.  According to medical professionals, children under one don't ever get chickenpox.  I am here to tell you those medical professionals don't know what the hell they are talking about.  This child has pox in his mouth, his ears, on his eyelids....every square inch of him is covered.


The big thing happening in Kansas City this weekend though is more serious than lost luggage and G-Boy #2 with chickenpox. This weekend there are numerous memorial events to honor the 114 people that lost their lives and over 200 injured on July 17th 1981 when the walkway at the Hyatt Regency collapsed onto the people attending a party in the lobby.

The Good for the Day....There is a little excitement here too.  A lot of people (not me as I am not a shopper) are quite excited because tomorrow two Trader Joe's are opening in Kansas City.  I don't understand why people are so happy about these stores but yet they are. 

The Bad for the Day....Grandson is so unhappy.


The Weird for the day....The cause of the Hyatt Regency collapse was an engineering error that could have been corrected by a simple fix that would have cost about $25.00 according to the engineers that investigated the accident. 

The Whiny Whiny Dance

Liars and Fliers and (who?) Cares, Oh My

Another week with some interesting topics for hanging around our virtual water cooler.  A lot of this week's chat fodder has to do with people that have said and done things that have come back to bite them in the butt, so to speak. 

First the REST OF THE STORY concerning the breakup of Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Turns out the Terminator was busy in the governor's mansion with more than official business. 


 In the last several days, we find out that he has been keeping it under wraps that he had a child with a member of the household staff during the time he was Governor of California.

Well, isn't Arnold a dirty dog!!  According to some news reports, his ex-mistress threatened to go public as she was fired from her employment.  (Note to all dogs out there...if you get a subordinate pregnant, you might want to make sure she has job security) Of course, this story changes daily. Today some of the reports say she just retired from her job and everyone is on friendly terms.  (friendly???? Call me crazy...but I doubt it)


In 2003 after an incident in which he was accused of groping women, Arnold made a statement "I behave badly sometimes."  (very well put, Arnold)  New York Times reporter, Robin   Abcarian  stated on the Today Show this morning that The NY Times  stands by the 2003 story that called him a " Serial Sexual Groper".  (Wouldn't that make a person proud to have that as your tag line?  Just think you could have a Twitter account [at]serialgroper)

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Another dirty dog ..err....skunk in the news is French business man, Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Strauss-Kahn, managing director of the International Monetary Fund is accused of attacking a housekeeper at a New York hotel.  He is being held at Rikers after bail was denied.

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do I look like a casino boss to you?



Another lawsuit is in the news this week.  A San Diego mother is suing Chuck E. Cheese's chain of restaurants for $5 Million because she believes children could develop a serious gambling habit by frequenting the eateries.  Debbie Keller contends that the games within the restaurants are actually illegal gambling devices, similar in nature to roulette wheels and slot machines. 



 Eric Binink, Ms. Keller's attorney, told the San Diego Union Tribune the the money is a secondary issue and his client is asking for a jury trial.   (I am thinking Ms. Keller is taking a gamble by bringing this case to court and finding a jury that would think this is worth 5 million)

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Southwest Airlines is back in the news.  Kenlie Tiggeman, a 30 year political strategist is saying that an employee at the Dallas based Southwest Airlines said she was "too fat to fly". She and her mother were both asked to by 2 tickets to accommodate their size.  Part of Ms. Tiggerman's  complaint deals with the fact that the gate agent discussed this in front of a number of other travelers.  (OK, I think that you aren't much of a gentleman to discuss a lady's weight in front of a crowd.  You are really, just asking for TROUBLE)

This issue has come up previously as well.  A spokesman for the airline said that if a person can fit into the seat between the armrests they can fly with one ticket.  If they need additional space they need to purchase a second ticket.  However, if the flight is not full, the second ticket price will be refunded.

Ms. Tiggeman is saying that at 268 pounds she does fit into the seat.  Also, she noted that on past flights she was not required to buy 2 tickets.  

Note to Southwest:  If you are going to charge by weight, you need to have a weight chart so we can all check the "fat or thin" surcharge.  Shouldn't the small, light people get a discount if those that are heavier are having to pay extra based on weight. 

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A consumer advocacy group is asking McDonald's to fire Ronald McDonald.  (no one's job is safe, any more).  According to The Chicago Tribune, Corporate Accountability International,  cites that the "Chief Happiness Officer" is enticing children to eat unhealthy foods that  is resulting in the growing epidemic of childhood obesity.  The group is planning events in a number of US cities to bring attention to the  problem of "cradle to grave" marketing that is luring children into eating unhealthy foods.

A McDonald's spokesman said that Ronald is a beloved brand ambassador that is the "heart and soul" of McDonald House Charities.  McDonald House provides housing for families of critically ill children so that they can stay near the hospital or care facility where the child is being treated. More than 4 million children benefit from this charity annually.

OK, my blogee friends, those are of few of the topics being talked about this week. 

What are your thoughts?  Weigh in....oops, sorry...and give me your comments on any, some or all of the Friday topics. 

The Good for the Day......I love that Whack-A-Mole game at Chuck E. Cheese. 

The Bad for the Day..... I am thinking we shouldn't blame Ronald for making our children fat unless he has his big ole red shoe on your chest while holding you down on the ground force feeding you Big Mac, Fries and a Shake.  Parents need to take control of what and how their children eat and adults need to take responsibility for themselves.

The Weird for the Day... A man wanted to take  his pony  for a ride on the train in Wales but was denied access even though he purchased 2 tickets. (one for himself and one for his pony)

Poor, sad pony, wants to go for a ride on the train!!!

A song that has Arnold in mind.