Ladycroft's Journal

07/20/2008 09:26 #45079

back from paris
Category: photos

I fixed the photos from a few posts ago*

I had the most fabulous time in Paris EVER. I've been before, but it was SO much more enjoyable this time around with Rory's arm to hold onto. Finally made it to the catacombs which I found pretty amazing (and not at all creepy) but my camera sucks in low light. I have a few 'ok' shots, but I'll post some of Rory's when I get them, they are spectacular. Can you believe they actually exhumed 6 million bodies and shoved them in old quarries? Crazy!

We also made it out to Euro Disney which was entertaining, as if I haven't been to Disney like 5 times in the last month! It was interesting to compare and contrast rides. My votes stand that Aerosmith's Rockin' Rollercoaster and the Tower of Terror are way better in their US version. However...Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean were WAY better over there! Seriously. This also comes after having just ridden the newly updated version of Pirate's of the Caribbean in the US, to which I WAS going to tell you all is much better than it's first version. Just in case you ever go.....

There was also this restaurant that was 'inside' the Pirates ride, meant to look like you were in the jungle by a river. It was simply AMAZING! The food was really good, and the atmosphere was just divine.

first i took the train up to Lille to visit friends

i had a beer called 'kwak' which was served in this unusual way

tribute to joan of arc in the cathedral

my friend lived on the 5th floor, so the bathroom was....short

if you stand up in the bathtub your head sticks out the sky light

amaury

rory's flight was delayed and we got to our little hotel at midnight

more paris photos in next post, i have to finish sorting them out!

tinypliny - 07/20/08 21:18
WOW!! I don't need to go anywhere this year; just chill out in my flat and load your journal. :)

BTW, I would fit so well in that bathtub without my head sticking out the window. Things are usually too huge for me. hehehehe

mrmike - 07/20/08 11:52
Great pics

metalpeter - 07/20/08 10:07
I really like the tower shot and the Joan Of Arc shot and look forward to seeing more pictures, glad it was a good time.

07/06/2008 09:51 #44877

rory quit!
Category: potpourri

Time Smoke-Free: 5 days, 16 hours, 46 minutes
Cigarettes NOT smoked: 114
Lifetime Saved: 20 hours

I never asked him to, but he did it. I'm so proud of him!

Yes, I see my photos didn't post - I'll deal with it later. I just wanted to share my joy first :)

metalpeter - 07/06/08 13:28
congrats. Hopefully he stays smoke free. It is really surprising how many people quit have it licked and then for some reason go back to smoking again.

jenks - 07/06/08 13:09
congrats! there's another ticker like that one too, that also lists how much money you've saved. It's pretty inspiring.

tinypliny - 07/06/08 11:30
That is awesome! Congratulations to Rory and to you!

I went to this talk at Roswell about how researchers are promoting people to stay in the quit mode. Apparently, portable tactile and visual stimuli strengthen the resolve the stay smoke-free. The experiment was an interesting one. They recruited a bunch of people who drank alcohol and put them through a training session that emphasized quitting alcohol. Then they were subjected to a number of "temptations", eg. given a bottle of wine and asked to pour it out repeatedly into wine-goblets, given a six-pack of beer and asked to pour it out into glasses etc.

Now comes the interesting part. The study subjects had been put in two different rooms because of the lack of space for "temptation" part of the study. In one of the rooms, a graduate assistant had forgotten his pencil with a funny-shaped eraser on the table. The researchers noted that the study subjects who were in the room with the pencil-funny-eraser resisted temptations MUCH BETTER than the ones in the other room.

Quite unconsciously, the unusual object on the table reinforced the quit-training they had received prior to the temptation experiment. Thus the researchers hypothesized that perhaps giving the study subjects memorable textured objects to keep would reinforce the quit-training. The textured objects could be anything - a Keychain, a medal, a small toy etc. They just have to be unique enough that, in the unconscious mind, the study subjects could make an association between the object and the intial training or the urge to quit in the first place. The second phase of the study is being carried out currently. They are extending this concept to quitting programs and stay-quit programs for smoking.

So maybe you could talk about how much you LOVE the fact that he has quit and without telling him about this whole experiment, just give him some small textured thingy that he can keep with him all the time. If the researchers are right, this object will remind him of you and the talk you had and encourage him to stay in the quit-mode. Just a small thing worth trying! :)

Nagging may also work, but positive reinforcement is better.

Good Luck!

james - 07/06/08 11:07
now you stay on his ass about not picking one up. Going through quitting a second time is worse than the first time.

mrmike - 07/06/08 10:42
Congrats on the smoke free journey so far. Keep on keepin' on

07/04/2008 17:27 #44863

photo catch up
Category: photos

I'm so behind on photos! I finally sifted through all of (e:jbeatty)'s photos for the parts of the trip I was missing. Here are a few shots from the communist statue park we visited in Budapest. Also, a few from Disney/Universal. I'll try to get everything up on my photo site before heading out of town again! Ciao peeps.

run away!

he got me....

dinner with the peeps

my nephews on their first amusement park ride

mohammed at universal

lego family

fireworks

metalpeter - 07/20/08 10:03
Nice Pictures I think my favorite is the one of where it looks like the guy is chasing you through the arch way.

metalpeter - 07/04/08 18:25
In case you didn't know, non of the pictures showed up it is just the code for them. My guess is that you have to open each one with what ever picture software you have and then change there picture size either that or crop them or do some of both. Then you would re save them with a different name or in a different location so they don't replace the old ones. There could be some other issue but them being to big is the most common one. I look forward to seeing the pictures once they show up.

06/30/2008 17:45 #44831

back in the dohaha
Category: potpourri

I had a delay getting out of Orlando, but still managed to get on my plane in DC. I was so, so, so happy to be back in Rory's arms. I also came home to an amazing surprise. They put up a partition in my hallway. "What does that mean", I hear you ask. Well dear friends, it means I now have a relatively private entrance to my part of the building, which means it is now acceptable for me to have male visitors in my residence. Which means, for the first time ever, I'm going to make Rory dinner at MY place and he can some over and enjoy it!!!!

Really, having that type of restriction wears on you. I mean I'm almost 33 for crying out loud! With the inability for any public display of affection AND not having 'boys' over, I was seriously beginning to feel like a 13 year old trying to enjoy a chaperoned date. So, needless to say I am over the moon about this new addition!

Further more, I got some newer furniture and my apartment almost looks like it matches and belongs to a grown up! We requested 'new' furniture back in January and it's still a tit-for-tat battle as to who actually does the work. I swear this country wastes about a bajillion man hours working to avoid work and about 10 hours actually working. Not that I'm hatin' on anyone, just to make that clear.

I'm on duty this week, then I'm off to Paris next weekend. Rory finally got the time off approved, so we get to spend a whole 3 days together! No work, no moral police, just US....freedom.....and an exciting adventure together :) Let me hear you say, FUCK YEAH!

Travel photos to come.

metalpeter - 07/01/08 18:57
I hope you two have a great time in Paris I'm sure it will be a good time, glad to hear that now with the furniture and the wall like thing you feel like an adult and not 13, HA, but you know what I mean. I'm looking forward to seeing your travel pictures.

mrmike - 07/01/08 07:12
three days in Paris -- sounds awesome. Enjoy

06/21/2008 23:08 #44747

down in disney
Category: travel

I made it down to Disney. The flight was uneventful until we were just about to land in Orlando. Either we had a mechanical issue or we were about to run into another plane. We had to abort our landing. We were really close to the ground about to land when suddenly we accelerated into what felt like mach 5 and made a sharp climbing turn. Jeepers!

So here I am at Disney. Seems like we'll have a lot of free time with this conference so today Mohammed and I went to Epcot. The rides aren't so great, but it's really cool meeting and talking with the staff. They come from all over the world and of course that floats my boat.

Most pleasing of all, I finally got to have a video chat with Rory this morning. The time difference is so wrong it makes it very difficult to communicate 'live'. I was just pleased as punch to get to spend an hour with him, hear his sexy accent, see his face. In all my life and experiences I've never felt 'homesick' the way I am when I'm so far away from him.

I'll get some photos up when I get back home in Qatar. Sorry if I didn't get a chance to see you, talk to you, or meet you while I was home. It's an exhausting trip and there's only so much catering I can do considering how far and long I had to travel to get there. So, hopefully next year! Because I won't be home for a year. But next time hopefully I'll have Rory in tow and you can meet the fabulous man in my life :) Ciao peeps.

jenks - 06/23/08 18:54
aww :) it's nice to hear you so in love. :) Congrats.

fellyconnelly - 06/23/08 10:25
I'm with Tiny... But I am glad you've been having a lovely trip so far.

museumchick - 06/22/08 13:58
I'm really glad you had a good trip so far. i hope you'll enjoy Disney!

metalpeter - 06/22/08 11:15
Hey Assuming Bush hasn't started World War 3 by then It would be great to meet him, Rory that is not bush. (that is a saying I have cause I have trouble looking that far ahead into the future and because I think bush makes more people hate the US everyday)I'm glad you could talk to him face to face. That thing with the plane sounds very odd to say the least but you and everyone else is ok and that is what is important. In terms of Orlando from the little bit that I can remember Epcott Center was the place you went for all the cool stuff oh no wait that was Paradise Island where they had Improve Comedy before it was cool and every night was New Years Eve. Ok back to Epcot that was like where they had the world of Tommarow and The 3D movies and the Micheal Jackson movie you could only see there they were not really about Rides but I'm sure the place has changed a lot. I hope you are able to have a lot of fun after you take care of the work stuff. Hey I look forward to seeing your pictures.

tinypliny - 06/21/08 23:15
I kind of feel miserable that I didn't meet you. :/ (Because of my time management issues.)
Maybe next year I shall be a better person...