For Labor Day Weekend, I traveled to San Antonio, Texas to visit my husband at Fort Sam Houston. While there, I had no access to the Internet. My cell phone wouldn’t even call into the little ole’ holler I like to call home in Morehead, KY. Needless to say, it gave me some perspectives on life and technology. I think I’ll just start from the beginning and go on day by day.
Before we can even begin this wonderful story, the trap that ensnared the likely victim, me, into its claws needed to be set. Mummy-in-Law decided to call and tell me that she wants to buy a plane ticket, the car rental, and the room in order for my husband, John, and I to finally see each other. Mind you, it’s been almost a half year since he left home for military training. Of course, I’m going to jump at it. We never got a honeymoon, missed our first anniversary, and never really got time to have any real dates in the last 8 years we have been together. We have been a full-bore 100% go get-em family since day one. I was ready for a break!!! All I needed was a babysitter for 5 days. Easy, right….lol Not in this world. Eventually, someone was willing to do it for a couple hundred. Which, I will never do that again. No one can take care of my children like me. My eldest child looked like a dirty little heathen when I got back. The baby was squeaky clean, but she smelled like fast food. On with the trip now…
Day 1 – Thursday: I have got to get to that airport over an hour drive away. On the way there, I kept looking at my car radio. My husband put in a $2000.00 system. We appreciate nice music. My favorite in that car to listen to is the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I love electric orchestras. The technology that goes into manipulating the sounds and the fluency created is amazing. As I was traveling down 64, my mind was wandering through history thinking of how orchestras developed. I had pictures of people dressed in gaudy robes strumming harps and tooting horns while pushed in a castle corner to now boldly sitting atop or just below a black marbleized stage. Eventually, I parked my car in long term and put my pass somewhere I was sure to be unable to find it at a later date – hint, hint.
Kiosk time. Every time I come to the airport, these things change, and that’s at least every 18 months or so. I can’t imagine how monumentally important it is to have the most up to date check-in methods at the airports, but as a nation, we are panty-wasted with electrical tech. for our school systems – especially the ones that need it the most (poverty). Check-in at Lexington is easy, and security is even easier. I wasn’t even considered a threat; whereas, I will be in another airport…lol
There was a stop in Atlanta, and I had to do a marathon run to the opposite side, but eventually, my 3 hr plane ride was over in San Antonio. This would be the first time I have ever acquired a rental car. I went to pick up the car and they told me I had to put down a $200.00 deposit. The problem here is that I only brought 300 with me. I am one of those people that absolutely will not bring or allow my access to a large sum of money. I would drain my whole account if I did. It’s vacation after all. Luckily, Mom got on them about it, because this was her treat to us. I think this was a guilt make-up thing for her. It all got worked out and everyone was happy an hour later. This was a time when I was amazed how little technology has come along. Hertz couldn’t do so many different types of transactions. I wanted to pull my hair out and scream at all the limitations their computers seemed to have. Eventually I found myself next to the tiniest little blue car you have ever seen and was making marks on a paper to signify scratches (I was gonna be daffy if I was paying for any marks on that little thing). I then proceeded to leave the lot.
Until this moment, I always thought of San Antonio as one of the smaller cities in Texas. Fort Sam Houston was supposed to be about 15 min. from the airport. It took me 5 HOURS to find it. There are so many interstates, highways, one ways, turnarounds, offshoots, etc… Even though John and I hadn’t seen each other for so long, he was about to blow his top when I finally did get there. He tried to look upset when he was coming toward the car from a block away, but it was gone within 30 feet of the car…he was just irritated with me…lol Thursday was a family day, so he had to report back in by 2100. He only had 3 hours left by the time I got there and we had to go to the hotel across town to check me in, because mom put the hotel in his name. We then have to come back and drop him off on time. If he didn’t get back in time, his pass could be revoked.
Day 2 – Friday: Graduation John is released for the holiday around 1400.
Day 3 – Saturday: Schlitterbahn Water Park
http://www.schlitterbahn.com/nb/attractions/
This made me think of technology beyond electronics. One of the soldiers with us had said, “It’s amazing what you can do with a little rubber, cement, plastic, and water.”
He was referring to all the money that Schlitterbahn makes off of such simple water ride contraptions. Even after I returned home, I continued to look around and observe the contraptions that humans have made to occupy our time, the devices that provide entertainment and amuse us in order to evade boredom. I’m as guilty as anyone when it comes to finding a distraction from life’s hardships. I indulge into games or work.
I would like to say the day was all fun and games. It was a total blast and one embarrassment to boot. Luckily my husband was there to save me. We were racing down those speed slides on tubes, I came out first, out of my tube, and out of my top…yikes! My husband covered me quickly enough that only the lifeguard noticed, whew…close one. All this technology and you think we could develop water park proof swim suits by now.
That evening, we went back to the hotel to address the continuing technology issue with the hotel. I had no laptop, so classes were out of the picture and my husband told me to try and forget them for now. He said it would only ruin my weekend. If he only new, that everything I looked at imprinted the words I can blog about that all over it…lol The other issue we were having was the cell phone. We could not contact the babysitter. Still, we had no luck this night either.
Day 3 – Sunday: Alamo and RiverWalk
The Alamo was amazing. I was so sad to see so much of it is gone. Just two small buildings are left. Inside, the history of the Bowie Knife was in one of the buildings. If that isn’t technological evolution in its finest, I don’t know what is. I also found out a fact that I didn’t know before, or didn’t care to remember. KY had the most men at the Alamo then any other state. They counted TX and Mexico together and they still didn’t have as many men as Bowie and Crockett brought with them to fight from KY. There is also the fact that a lot were labeled Ireland and Scotland and in fact, they came with the Kentucky group. – KY Rocks!!!
Adventuring through downtown, I was able to really get a grip on how we, as a nation, have militarily advanced. All of our proud moments, especially of modern years, consist of the use of electrical gadgetry. Every other show on the Military and History channel is about the next advance weapon to come.
I want to see education shows on more often about the next classroom advancement. I want to see them talking about it with excitement. Show some excitement for learning. Most educational shows for materials are low-key and dead donkey boring. The vocabulary is too professional and gives no room for the passionate and free of heart. I argue that professionalism is a must in teaching, but I am speaking of a TV telecast now, not a team meeting.
One other thing that was odd that brought about all this techy stuff into one bundle was the idea that I forgot my camera on what was suppose to be one of the most memorable moments of my life. I was going to get to spend a weekend with my husband and I don’t have one picture to show for it. We could have bought a camera, but when we went down the River Walk, the memory of being together and environment seem so beautifully engraved into our minds, that no picture could do it justice. I looked at the couples walking ahead of us. John and I, him in a medical career and I previously, relate a lot to it in our conversations. I mentioned to John that I don’t think we need a camera and he nodded in agreement and put his arm over my shoulder. As we waited for families to take pictures, we spoke about the effects of Alzheimer and how our long term memories of this moment will be so much more vivid then of the people with cameras. The power of our mind is technologically more powerful then we give it credit for. When the end (of our life) is close, our mind is all we have; grasping that last memory of hope – something no camera or computer can do.
That evening, I called up to family in Florence and had them call down to Morehead. The cell worked just fine from city to city. It just couldn’t penetrate the holler.
Day 4 – Monday: Drop Off and Time to Go Home
I dropped John off around 0600 and headed for the airport. John loaded my luggage with some of his military books so he wouldn’t have to carry them on to the next school. Some of these included cultural books. So, I got chosen to have my incredibly overweight suitcase searched. As you already know, I was there to honeymoon/1st anniversary, so you can imagine that they didn’t find the Qaran and Book of Islam Beliefs sitting on top of my Pooh Bear Pajamas. Let’s just say, whoever got to search my bag got an interesting find…lol
I had the safest plane ride home, which was for sure. Half of the Boeing was military. There was a huge Police dog lying in the isle half way through. He stared at the screaming toddler most the trip to Atlanta. If his master took the muzzle off, I just knew he would eat the little tyke. Once again, my mind trailed off about our developments with animals. We do so many things with animals. They have come far beyond pets to family members. Unfortunately, I returned home to find my Christmas present, Cally, was gone. She was an albino cat. The most gorgeous skinny white kitty anyone has ever seen. It is day 6 since her disappearance. Tomorrow, I hope to pass out flyers. So much for technology when your heart is broken. I have yet to find a way for it to fix that issue.
