Day 5 of our vacation

It’s freezing … its 7:30 a.m. and about 50 grown-ups are frantically attempting to pull on smelly, gas laden snowsuits, helmets and goggles. We’re off for our snowmobiling adventure. I cop out. I don’t want to drive the snowmobile alone. I beg my husband … “Can’t I just ride in the back, I’m scared!” Excuse me, but I’ve given birth to 3 kids (surely I can handle maneuvering a powerful machine – after all, I can do everything else, right?)

Rule #1: When straddling the machine as a passenger, don’t panic when you suddenly realize that you ONLY have 2 small handles to hold onto.

Rule #2: Since the passenger’s seat is 8 inches above the driver … you have only your knees to hug the driver … and I might add “squeeze the driver till it hurts” or you will fly off the machine.

Rule #3: Don’t breath – the gas fumes are enough to make you sick (if you do vomit, be sure to turn your head away from the driver).

Rule #4: Don’t pee in your pants … as the machine revs up and begins vibrating ferociously you will wish that you were NOT the passenger.

Rule #5: Get over your fear of driving. As a passenger you will get bumped, collided and almost thrown off the snowmobile. You will have no control as you dodge trees and spin around dangerous mountain curves with 100 foot cliffs just inches away.

I HATE not having control … it’s my nature to be in control. Maybe I made a mistake in not driving myself. The bottom line is "buy your own equipment and practice, practice, practice. Cool equipment can be found at one of our snowmobile catalogs.

Posted by Melody at 08:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Day 4 of our vacation ...

I did OK skiing yesterday. Got off the bunny hill, took a very serious fall (my classmates said I looked like the famous TV commercial "The ABC Wide World of Sports" when that skier wiped out. All I can say is THANK GOD I was wearing my helmet (because I heard it cling, cling cling 3x as my ski's went flying off and I tumbled downhill out-of-control. I feel like a Mack Truck hit me.

I was exhausted but we still had to drive to our new destination. When I finally came back from dinner and crawled into bed, I was rudely and violently awoken at 4:20 A.M. Apparently, the previous guest staying in our room had re-set the alarm. I thought it was a fire drill (we obviously never set it) and now I can't go back to sleep. By the time we figured out how to shut off the damn thing ... I'm wide awake.

Wouldn't you think that for the kind of money we are paying at the Ritz Carlton, that housekeeping would check these things? Maybe my expectations are too high (otherwise, the resort is AWESOME) but still ... I'm wide awake and blogging at some ridiculous hour.

I'm finished with skiing. I'm still alive and in one piece (although some really nice anesthesiologist looked at my hand and thinks it might be a hairline fracture.) Today ... it's the spa and shopping for me!

Posted by Melody at 07:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The long awaited Colorado vacation ... no kids, no work, just 6 nights of bliss with my hubby. Since I've NEVER ever been skiing, I thought I'd be up-to-date and try the coolest thing ... snowboarding. Everyone said it would be better on my knees ... you'll have no problem picking it up.

Now, it's our 3rd night and all I have to show for my efforts are a right sprained wrist, a left bruised palm, and a 5 inch purple/black bruise on my tush ... let me put it into perspective:

10 mistakes to avoid when learning snowboarding
#1. When the instructor asks you "Are you a goofy foot or a regular foot" tell the truth ... ask what the heck is he talking about, or click here to determine.

#2. Don't attempt to stand while fastening both feet onto the board. You will end up soaring down the hill, uncontrollably.

#3. Forget that you've ever performed squats or lifted weights over your head in a weight room. You should never stick your butt out, bend your knees and lean forward (my constant mistake).

#4. Don't hit the instructor in the head when you lose control and frantically attempt to recover (as I did, I smashed his sun goggles into his eyes so hard, that he simply walked away and left me at the base of the mountain).

#5. Don't grab the instructor so hard that he asks "Does your husband know you like to Tango"

#6. When the instructor tells you to "lean back, relax and make your arms feel like jello," don't take it literally.

#7. At the crucial and intimidating time when the instructor tells you "It's time to learn the chairlift," don't panic like the girl directly in front of me did. She tried to "sit" into the chair, of course missed it, bumped her head hitting the snow, got her snowbaord tangled in the chair lift, and then was damn near trampled as another lift went above her. Talk about being scared to death ... and my turn was next!

#8. When learning the technique of "going backwards, down the hill" do not put your heals down so that your back is facing in a downward direction ... you will immediately soar straight down the hill in record speed. Rather, attempt standing on your tippy-toes, in an incredibly painful stance, and then ask God why your Mom never enrolled you in ballerina school to get comfortable standing on your toes!

#9. When falling on your ass, do NOT, I repeat, do NOT try to cushion your fall with your hands (you will bruise and possible sprain your wrists, like I did).

#10. Do not be fooled ... if you are over 40 years old and have NEVER been athletically inclined, skip snowboarding and go directly to the spa.

Posted by Melody at 11:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This is what I kept asking myself tonight as I met John P. Contini, the defense attorney to the high profile case of Gill Fernandez, ex-Miami Dade police officer & former Mr. Florida bodybuilding champion and black-belt karate instructor … accused and convicted of triple murder.

It was a fascinating evening among my monthly “Literary Luscious Ladies” book club as we discussed a born again Christian defense attorney’s book, “Danger Road: A true crime story of murder and redemption.” The room fell silent as he meticulously told his account of his meetings with the convicted murderer he had represented. Apparently, Gill Fernandez, who was once termed in the Miami Herald and Sun Sentinel as “Miami’s Meanest Cop” and who admitted he was using cocaine and steroids on a continuous basis, and who was convicted of savagely murdering three people, had decided to find Christ while in jail.

So there you have it, a transformed and repentant murderer and a defense attorney, who four years ago confessed his deepest sins to Gill Fernandez (no less); he admitted that he originally misrepresented himself just to “get the case” and that he was not as “Christian minded” as he led on to be, initially. However, now John P. Contini has ALSO found the light and has been moved by faith to write this book.

And as our group of “Literary Luscious Ladies” sat in a beautiful home in suburbia, half Jewish, half Christian, I couldn’t help but wonder … what an incredible dichotomy.

How can you have a defense attorney knowingly defend murders and still claim to be a born again, follower of Christ? To me, this is an oxymoron, a dichotomy, and a farce!

So being the really “timid, shy and quiet” person that I am, I asked, then pressed, and then forced this simple question until I got the answer I was really looking for. “Excuse me John, but isn’t it a bit hypocritical to be defending murderers who have privately admitted their guilt, and then try like hell to get them off and free and place them back into our society, to perhaps hurt others?”

His response was a calculated answer: “In the old days, before I found Christ, I would never have thought twice about representing these types of people. But today, if I don’t physically see or emotionally feel their own repentance, their own sorrow for what they did, their own remorse … then I will simply walk away and turn the case down.”

I then pressed on (I started to feel my pulse increase and thought of myself as Barbara Walters) … “John, if you REALLY feel a new and profound closeness to God, and feel that your talents have been redirected to help repented people, then why are you planning 2 or 3 MORE books, instead of devoting all your time to helping accused murderers?” His answer was purely marketing – he informed our group that his book publishers didn’t want just one book, but rather a series of books. And that he had a lot of material to draw from.

He’s a “nice man”, a gentleman, and a savvy marketer. Has he found Christ, seen the light and been uplifted to a higher lever??? Well, I guess it’s not my place to judge, but certainly to question.

Posted by Melody at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

We have a new client, Quick Medical Supply, and I was fascinated by what is now available online for medical practitioners, physical therapists and anyone that wants to have a well equipped home medical first aid kit. With three kids, I’m particularly interested in the last item! Their home medical supply section has everything anything anyone would want-- from thermometers to bandages to a home defibrillator. I guess if a member of the family has a heart condition, it would be a good idea to have a defibrillator on hand (just be sure to follow instructions!). Did you know there’s such a thing as a talking thermometer? That’s what I really need—something else to talk back to me! There are even medicine dispensers with an audible alert.

But what I really NEED is fitness equipment, or physical therapy aids—since I always seem to bang up my knee. It’s not that I’m clumsy; it’s just that I seem to have weak knees. They have training stairs, parallel bars and workout mats too. Check out their many types of pedometers and scales to help therapists and patients track progress across and between therapy sessions.
Quick Medical supply has a huge selection, offering durable medical equipment, consumable medical supplies, medical fixtures and home health care supplies. They alos advertise that they have “knowledgeable customer service specialists for help in selecting the right supplies and equipment for your professional or personal needs,” which I’m sure could come in quite handy.

Posted by Melody at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)