Finally!!!

I was not a very happy camper in regards to my internet access for the past week. I did take my laptop with me but the wireless at the hotel was horrible. It would take forever to load pages, some wouldn't load at all and I could not post any blogs at all. I did write a blog post last week on Tuesday, but was not able to post it. I will try to spend more time recapping my trip for those of you that haven't abandoned me. I tried to respond to Jonathon's comment but I couldn't email either. I could receive email, but not send it. I also couldn't check my yahoo email.

I'm going to see Hamlet tonight so I'm going to go take a nap first. Here's the post from early this past week.

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No time for blogging obviously. I do have things to share but the internet connection in this hotel basically sucks. It is supposed to be wireless which technically it is since I don’t have wires connected to my laptop, but it is really slow. It takes forever for pages to load and some don’t get loaded at all.

We arrived on Saturday around 3:30. The hotel check-in was very simple. Our room is nice; it’s a small suite, but it has a bit of shabbiness to it in places. But the hotel overall is nice and it’s in a good location. I got unpacked and spent about an hour ironing all of my clothes.

We left for Medieval Times at 6:30 in order to get there by 7:00 but we got there a little early. It is an interesting place, but like most things these days it is quite overpriced and they expect you spend even more money once you’re inside. You get a table number and a colored paper crown. You will sit in a certain section and root for the knight that wears the same color. After entering the door you also get your picture taken when you come inside and then they try to sell you your picture during the show itself. We were told to be here by 7:00 to be able to get seated together, but then we had a 45 minute wait. That time is to be spent browsing all the exciting items they have for sale from decorative swords to little knick-knacks. Parents bought their kids fake shields and lighted swords or simple flags that you wave in support of your knight. And then there’s the bar. (Which thankfully I avoided this go around) The drinks are outrageously priced but you get to keep the glasses. You can buy drinks even made based on your particular knight. (Which is what got me in big trouble last time I came here.) Shortly before called to dinner they have the “King” come out and he dubs his sword on the shoulders of special people that are celebrating birthdays or anniversaries. Then the trumpeter plays and they announce which door we should enter for the feast. The dinner place itself is around a large arena that is filled with sand. The show is filled with knights and horses, a guy with a falcon that flies around the arena. They knights compete against each other and then have battles. The dinner is served with no silverware. You eat with you hands. The food was pretty good, but quite messy. You get soup, bread, chicken, spare rib, potato and a pastry dessert. The show itself is obviously bad fight choreography but it’s cool to see the sparks fly when the swords clash. Everyone gets into the spirit cheering for their own knights and booing the opposing ones. It’s a fun time and should be experienced if you have the means at some point. After that we came back to the hotel and went to bed.

Sunday morning was spent at the main tournament hotel which is located at the airport… literally. We got registered and then had to spend two hours working as volunteers since our state is the host state this year. We did our job and then made a dry run to find the school where our student would be competing. After that we got lunch and then headed to six flags. Unfortunately, we realized that we did not have our tickets. It’s a good thing we realized it before we actually got to the park, otherwise, we would have had to pay for parking. We decided that our packet had been left behind at the registration hotel. We tried calling another coach that we knew was there but her phone was turned off. We left and put gas in the car and the other coach called while we were there and she said that she had our packet. So we headed back towards to airport to get the packet. We got to the park after the opening ceremony started so the boys and I took off to go ride Titan. Luckily they were running all three trains so the wait was only about 40 minutes. It was a GREAT ride! I was so ecstatic. There’s nothing like a great rollercoaster ride to lift your spirits. The boys (my students) loved it as well. After Titan, we rode the Texas Giant which is one of the fastest wooden rollercoasters. The ride is a bit rough, but still a pretty good ride. As we stood in lines, I regaled the boys with all sorts of facts and information about rollercoasters and hypnotism. I think they were impressed with my knowledge. I was also mistaken for a student twice! That was a nice boost to think I still look fairly young. We had time for one more coaster before leaving the park and so we headed for Batman. We opted for the front row seats because it’s worth it for the visuals. We left early to come back for dinner. We stopped to get water after we left the park so we wouldn’t have to overpay.

Dinner on Sunday night was at Bennigan’s which was located really close to the hotel. The food was good (had a salad and the baked potato soup) but service was slow. We came back to the hotel and I took a shower to warm up (my roommate likes the room cold) and then went to bed. I’ve been taking half a Tylenol p.m. each night before going to bed. I’ve been sleeping pretty well and waking up with no problems. I’m not sure what is up with that, but I wish I got this kind of sleep at home. Maybe it’s the vitamins I started taking. I’ve been taking a multi-vitamin each morning and it seems to help me get through the day without being tired. Or maybe last night’s rest was due to the adrenaline rush from the coaster riding.

Today was the first day of competition. I spent most of the morning working on my new crochet project which is a prayer shawl. I had to judge a flighted foreign extemp round today which means I listened to ten speeches on foreign topics most of which were about Russia. It’s not like I know anything about Russia or any other foreign country for that matter, but I do know what a good speech should sound like. After the rounds today we came back to the hotel after taking a bit of a detour. We couldn’t get over fast enough for our exit. We had a little time to relax before going to dinner. The other coach had plans to go to dinner with a friend that she plays cards with online that she has never met in person. We all went along with her as well. We went to Red Lobster. Her friend is in a wheelchair and her son brought her to the restaurant. We all had a very nice time with great conversation. It is nice to meet a man that is nice, intelligent, and takes care of his mother like that. And before you ask, yes, he is single. He was a very nice looking man and my fellow coach was basically elbowing me after the dinner about him. But there’s no more to the story.

Now it’s almost bed time again. I’m going to take a hot shower and perhaps another half Tylenol. Tomorrow I have to judge two rounds. I also have to go buy the newest Janet Evanovich book. Tomorrow night is a big party and dance sponsored by Schwan’s. It should be
a lot of fun.

Well, that’s it for the updates. I’ll try to update more later, internet permitting.