Lazy Sunday mornings, hotel ratings and Vaginal monologues.

I got up way to early this morning, already read the Sunday paper, and my computer game is not loading so I thought I would write in my travel blog my most recent updates on future trip plans. I have paid and have reservations for camping in the end of May. I have also scored admission passes to all of Niagagra Falls area attractions for me and my Men. We simply have to pack up and drive down to make the trip complete. In addition to such I did some serious web searching to find a decent, yet cheep hotel for our Maine trip in July. I found one about 20 minutes inland from Bar Harbor that had mixed reviews, but had the Beale family aproval for a several day stay, mini kitchen, pool, wifi, free parking, free breakfast and above all reasonable rates. Some people are so funny about hotels. Sure it's nice to stay in four star hotels. Their beautiful, lush and have all those little extras. I have stayed at some of the best! But I dont personally go on vacation to spend my time in the hotel. Plainly put, it's a hot and a cot. I stay at a place close to the places I want to visit, not because the hotel has the linnens ironed and a mint on the pillow. (although that is nice too, just not in my budet). I remember one time my hubby and I (more so me) got roped into one of those timeshare demo. The places were beautiful. Hot tubs, beautiful manicured lawns, clean neat little vacation homes with all the animunities, but they were located in places that we near nothing. What the hell am  I and my family going to do when the closest thing to anything except this beautiful timeshare is a fine eatery and a strip mall. It just wasn't flying and it wasn't at all appealing to my hubby who held out til the end with NO-thank you. I dont think we ever used our free dinner coupon and we never cashed in our deep discount vacation package to nowhere simply for attending. Fancy hotels are great, they are just not us. I actually have scored well with most of my hotel's as far as space, comfort and location. There were only a few and I have not found a hotel this way since; they were found on those pick your price websites, sight unseen. You pick your price, location and base it on the number of stars. We got one in Canada that had all that was requested it was just not what I would have picked had I actually got to view the hotel website. I also am big on calling. I absolutely hate making reservations on the net. If there is a phone #, I call. You can get more information on the phone, make requests and ask questions. You also get a feel for what the staff is like. Sometimes if you call, you can even get a better rate then the one quoated on the site. It's just more personal. Anyways. I found this one called The Colonial Inn. Mark says book it, so I'm gonna call today and get us hooked in. I think the total for the week is around $500-, which is pretty good for the area and considering that prices in Bar Harbor during the month of July ranged from $200-$500 a night. I will take my $500- total and enjoy. Now that I have ranted about hotels. Let me tell you abotut the "trip" I took last night.
On Friday I recieved an email that said Free Tickets! Anything with the word FREE spikes my interest so I opened it and read the first four lines. Free tickets for Friday, Sat, or Sunday performances of the "Vaginal Monologues". E-mail Loren for details. I love the theater, love FREE, and it was all about Vaginas, what could be better? I had no idea what to expect, but figured it had to be something like the musical medopause I had seen a few years earlier and laughed my butt off at.  I quickly shot off an email to Loren reporting YES I want free tickets to Sunday's performance.  Later I get an email back. Great! Man the Vera House booth, make a speach about Vera House at the end and the ticket (not tickets) is yours, be there at 6pm. WHAT???? Should have known there was a catch. So as usual I worked myself into a tizzy. I even tried to get a friend to go insisting I would pay the $10- admission price. I was NOT prepared to do a speach about Vera House...what would I say. Friend couldn't attend, but now I am committed. 5:30 comes around and I am out the door, prepared for the unknown. I SUCK at ambiguity. I really didn't know what to expect and I worked myself into a bigger tizzy as I drove. (Definately something I've got to work on). I get there, and find quick security in a face I recall from the worksite, let my presence be known as I scooch into the Vera House booth seat and ensure right away that I am not the person for the speach "job". Told by, (Lauren) that she isn't staying, PANIC sets in. Breathe Breathe!!! So I sit, not one person visited the booth, and I was feeling more and more uncomfortable as the minutes before the performance started. I really do not do well when I dont know whats happening, and I so would have felt better if I had a friend with me. I started kicking myself for not asking more friends to attend. I even thought gee my mom would have loved this...I should have called her. Bummer (the only person on the planet who doesnt have a cell phone). The show starts..Thank God! I finally begin to settle down and actually enjoy the show.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED IT!!!!!!! By intermission I was no longer kicking myself for not inviting more friends for my own sorry uncomfortable ass, but because the message was so meaningful. The whole play was about women telling their short stories about knowing themselves, knowing their sexual awareness, enpowering themselves both in the bedroom, and within their lives. It wasn't really about vagina's but about being a woman. Some of the stories made me laugh, some I identified with, some told about abuse, sexual curiosity, being gay and transgender, one told about being raped, and one in perticular made me laugh so hard I cried. The actress; around my teen aged daughters age had at least a 10 minute speal on sexual moans. She did an amazing job, and it tickled me to pieces. The final act was in combination with the one million RISING campagine. Startling and sad statistics were shared to remind us of the continued abuse to so many women. I so enjoyed the performance, I totally forgot that I might be presenting a speach at the end. Grateful that one of the performers, Jen works for Vera House and she told the speach. Don't I feel stupid. After the show was over and I was emotionally spent from my own doing and the performance itself. I did a little silent aucton bidding, took a gander at the vagina cupcakes, packed up the Vera House booth, and headed home feeling a little bit wiser, a bit more aware, and a tiny bit more confortable in my own vagina.

  The vagina cupcakes!