The Infrequent Tales of a Dysfunctional Family

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

California Trip - Reflections # 2

THE DOWN SIDE
(Why I Never Want to Do This Again)
by Bill Dargan

1. Staying up too late (especially Tim)

2. Getting up too early (especially Tim after staying up too late)

3. Sleeping with Tim

4. Dirty floors (rugs)

5. Tim sleeping on dirty floors (when he got mad)

6. Tap water loaded with chlorine

7. Dirty bedspreads

8. Thermostats (air conditioners) that don't work

9. Boxes in hotels with little or no kleenex

10. Hangers your coat falls off

11. Tim using all the towels and washrags

12. Too many bags and suitcases to carry

13. Train water dispensers that trickle and are unsanitary

14. Toilets that flush slowly and plug up easily

15. FILTHY train bathrooms

16. Tim putting dirty socks and shoes where they don't belong

17. Tim being rude and surly and having meltdowns

18. Too many beggars

19. Too long lines for rides

20. Rude people

21. Attractions with decibel-damage loudness

22. Too large crowds

23. Unrealistically high prices (especially food)

24. 2nd floor hotel rooms (or rooms too far from the car)

25. Problems getting on hotel internet

26. Noisy people in adjacent hotel rooms who party all night

27. Not enough room in taxis for your bags

28. Rental cars that no one explains and don't have owners manuals

29. No parking places available

30. Heavy traffic with crazy drivers at all hours of day and night

31. Not having a coat when you need it

32. Bad jerky motions on train

33. No room for souvenirs in bags

34. Not being able to hear your cell phone in your pocket

35. Tough walk to nether parts of train

36. Kids playing too many video games

37. Too much driving

38. Too packed itinerary; no time to just relax and veg

39. Tiny parking stalls

40. Bad areas of town; fear muggers

41. Inadequate sink space

42. Maps that don't have enough info

43. Tim fiddling with EVERYTHING!

44. Home towns changing for the worse

45. California heat

46. Trying to do laundry on the road

47. (I'm omitting this one because it is too ludicrous)

48. Feeling sore and exhausted constantly

49. Shuttle buses that didn't keep to their schedule

Megan's comments:

Actually, I found myself laughing a lot as I typed up this list. I mean, Bill obviously had to really stretch to come up with so many 'down sides', and many of them don't really have anything to do with taking a vacation - they're just part of normal, every day life.

If you didn't know Bill as well as I do, after reading this list you would think that the vacation was a total disaster. ANY vacation would be equally hard on a person who doesn't like driving, crowds, dirt, or being out of their normal routine. However, stay tuned - tomorrow I'll write down his list of the "Up Side" of our vacation.

P.S. He is telling everybody that this was the BEST vacation we have ever had. Go figure!

1 comment:

Maleen said...

Oh come on!! Now I am dying to know what number 47 was.

And I agree, I don't think that I would have written down 80% of those things, because they are normal every day things. Life must be pretty cushy in the Dargan household, or it at least has adequate sink space and coats when you need them.