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Post by nmcox on Dec 30, 2009 11:00:14 GMT -5
You guys crack me up! Scary babies lol. I can't speak for everyone here, but I can promise you that Mrs. Carpenter is (mostly) harmless good company - not 100% sane, but not an axe murderer either. Assuming that I'm still able to travel in mid-July, I will be so pregnant that you'll all be able to outrun me. Kathleen, I just got the mental image of you running down a crowded Chicago street 9 months pregnant. Needless to say, it made me lol pretty hard.
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Post by Kathleen C-C on Jan 1, 2010 11:27:01 GMT -5
That'll be me, waddling down Michigan Avenue with a Swiss Army knife, determined to catch the woman ahead of me so I can slash the straps of her VB knockoff...
Picture the headlines...
PREGNANT PSYCHO TERRORIZES CITY
"Beware the 'Booga Booga!' Purse Slasher" - Police Put Women With Poor Taste On Alert
July 2010, Chicago: Chicago Police Department released a statement today warning the city's female residents and visitors to keep a close eye on their shoulder straps and stop carrying poorly made fake purses immediately.
"There has been a recent string of assaults made on women carrying cheap "designer" purses. We believe the suspect is a heavily pregnant woman with a major Vera Bradley obsession. She was first spotted by Union Station carrying at least 4 pieces of flowery green luggage that we believe to be authentic Vera Bradley." It is unknown at this time if her travel accessories match her luggage, but investigators think so, believing it highly unlikely that a woman with such excellent taste in handbags would choose to carry her essentials in cheap canvas bags from Target.
The first attack occurred on July __, shortly after the suspect was seen leaving Chicago's Palace Theatre, currently the home of the hit Broadway show "Shrek the Musical". One victim, who spoke to our reporter on condition of anonymity, said "She seemed to have a very good time at the show - she sang along with the overture and danced along with the performers during "Freak Flag", but when she came out of the theater there was definitely a cloud on her face. I knew she was behind me on her way to the El because I could hear her breathing, but then all of a sudden she yelled "Booga Booga!", cut the straps off my Sunshine Smiley bag and waddled away! I could hear her muttering under her breath as she left, cursing her husband for knocking her up and then running off to Mexico."
Sunshine Smiley is notorious for manufacturing handbags that are almost identical to Vera Bradley, but most of the women we interviewed for this story said that VBs are far superior in every way and called the Smiley bags "butt ass fugly". All of the VB fans we interviewed can completely identify and sympathize with the suspect and begged the police not to press charges against the "lonely, pregnant psycho".
"Based on the evidence, we do not believe that the suspect is truly dangerous - just 8 months pregnant and super-hormonal. She does however, see fake Vera Bradley bags as a serious offense against good taste, and will quite probably attack any woman she sees carrying one. We would therefore encourage all citizens to either carry the real thing or just stay home."
Live in fear ya'll, LOL!
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Post by amanda s lantz on Jan 1, 2010 16:18:39 GMT -5
LOL Kathleen! You are so funny!
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Post by momtobarneytaco on Jan 3, 2010 11:34:05 GMT -5
Hey Kathleen, I know you've travelled by train before; do you think my mom and I could travel by train to Chicago from MA? Would we be totally uncomfortable? Where can I look online for prices, accommodations, etc.? She is a retired teacher and loves musicals/shows, and to travel, and I'm a teacher with at least part of the summer off. I'd love to travel for something like this with my mom...it would be an ever-lasting memory!
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Post by Kathleen C-C on Jan 3, 2010 19:42:29 GMT -5
You and your mom could totally do it - train trips are so much fun! I took my very first Amtrak trip from Boston's Back Bay station and I have been hooked ever since! Two round trip train tickets would probably cost less than 2 round-trip flights, depending o when you buy the tickets. Of course, the train is much slower (21 hours each way) than flying, but I find trains very relaxing and mostly hassle-fee. You don't have to worry about being at the station 2 hours in advance, long-term parking, packing 3oz. bottles of liquids, paying $50 for one checked bag, etc. This would be your train: www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer/AM_Route_C/1241245664423/1237405732511www.railroadpix.com/rrphotos/detail/420.htmlThe Lake Shore Limited is the same train Brian, Sally and I took on our Thanksgiving trip from Chicago to NYC. We took the whole round trip in coach, but you can buy a roomette or a bedroom. If you want a sleeper, buy it early because they will be really expensive at the last minute and sell out often. Meals are included for 'first class' passengers, too, so that's a bonus. On the way up we ate dinner at home before we left Memphis and had breakfast in Chicago, and on the way back we had dinner on the train. I packed a cooler with drinks and fruit and brought Sally's favorite snacks with us to cut down on trips to the snack bar. Sally slept most of the way to/from Memphis, but on the Chicago leg she was quite happy to sit and color or watch movies. She got really fussy and "super bored, Mommy!" in the last 4 hours before we got to NYC, but she perked right up when she saw the city for the first time and after we got in the the scary cab, lol. I have taken the NYP or WAS-CHI trip by myself several times and have never been really uncomfortable. Unlike long-haul flights, you can get up and stretch your legs on the train. If you take the trip in coach, you don't have to sleep sitting up because the seats recline and have footrests. Sally and Brian brought their own pillows, blankets, eye shades and ear plugs and slept through the night after they got tired of watching movies. There are outlets at most seats, so you could bring your laptop/ipod for entertainment and a GPS unit to keep track of where you are. We had a mobile wi-fi spot with us, but didn't use it enough on the train to judge its reliability. www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer/AM_Accommodation_C/1237405735252/1237405732517www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=AM_Accommodation_C&pagename=am%2FLayout&cid=1241210576303www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=AM_Accommodation_C&pagename=am%2FLayout&cid=1241210576259www.amtrak.com/servlet/Satellite?SnippetName=IBLegacy&pagename=am/AM_Snippet_C/SnippetWrapper&amen=DiningI love trains and I have a lot of free time, so I ran some prices for you. If you want to see the opening night show on 7/13, you would have to leave MA by Monday 7/12. I used 7/11 for the outbound trip and 7/17 for the return trip, but the train leaves every day at the same time. The prices from Worcester and Boston are the same, so you could leave from whichever station is most convenient for you. Outbound to Chicago, $83 per person ($166 total, or less with discounts): July 11, 2010 from Boston, MA (You can leave from any of the 3 stations in Boston- I used BBY for the quote): The train leaves at 12:00p.m. and arrives in Chicago at 9:45a.m. on Monday, July 12 July 11, 2010 from Worchester, MA (WOR): Train leaves at 12:58p.m., the arrival time in CHI is the same. Inbound to MA ($83/pp, $166 total): July 17, 2010 from CHI: DEP 9:00p.m. from CHI; ARR WOR 6:57p.m. Total Cost (Coach): $332.00 Cost (with a Roomette each way): $886 Senior citizens (62+) receive 15% off the coach fare, and AAA members receive 10% off. With both of those discounts applied (AAA to you and senior citizen to your mom), the total cost for coach comes down to $290.40 or $844.50 with the roomette. You could fly round-trip on the same dates (Logan to O'Hare on JetBlue was the cheapest I found on Expedia.) for $378.80. It would be faster, but far less memorable. If you have never taken Amtrak before and want to get a feel for it, you might try a mini-trip from Boston to NYC see a show. If you and your mom can manage ~8 hours, then you can definitely handle 42! Useful sites: www.amtrak.com for route, ticket and price information discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?showforum=3 is a useful Amtrak discussion board where you can find more information about trip planning, on-board accommodation and dining options, etc. from people who have actually taken the trips. www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g35805-i32-Chicago_Illinois.html is a Chicago discussion board with lots of helpful advice about transportation, accommodations and things to do. grayline.ezrez.com/travel/show_activity_details.cfm?activityChoiceKey=icrs10ia805093431818&getting_add_ons=false&act_start_index=18&act_last_index=18 is a link I found for a bus trip to the Aurora outlet mall (where the VB store is), but at $35/pp it would probably work out less expensive to rent a car.
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Post by momtobarneytaco on Jan 3, 2010 21:24:34 GMT -5
Kathleen, thank you x 100 for all that information! I am going to head to bed soon, but I will check it out in depth later this week. (Back to work tomorrow after winter break. Gah!) I'm actually kind of excited to bring it up to her...I know she'd totally be up for it...and to see how my summer schedule works out! This is probably in the info above, but what is a "Roomette" vs. a "Sleeper"? Or are they the same? And, do you have any idea about hotel prices at this time? Just checking to see if you have a general idea. Since we'll be in Chicago, do you think we'd have to rent a car, or could be basically just use public transportation and be fine?
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Post by Nancy on Jan 3, 2010 21:50:23 GMT -5
Kathleen how are you getting there? I had already checked Amtrack, but even being a month shy of 30, 10 hours on a train by myself sounds scary!
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Post by Kathleen C-C on Jan 3, 2010 22:09:51 GMT -5
'Sleeper' is the class of accommodation (like Coach). A Roomette is the smallest size of sleeper accommodation, with what amounts to 2 bunk beds and a toilet. I think Roomette passengers have shower access in the hall. The Bedroom is the next size up (but it's still really small, according to what I've read) and has a shower in the room.
I will check into hotel prices tomorrow. I didn't know I was pregnant when I started putting this together, so I was planning to stay in a hostel (http://www.hichicago.org/ ). It's very basic, but very convenient and super-affordable. I could still do that, but at ~8 months pregnant (assuming I can even still go by then), I would probably be much more comfortable in a hotel for at least one of the nights I'm away from home. Prices vary widely depending on where you want to stay. Staying by the airports wouldn't be a good idea because the commute into the city would take too long, and some of the hotels are very inconveniently located to public transportation. Looking at Expedia, there's a Hampton Inn in the Theater District that's showing ~$140/night, tax inclusive. There may be better deals outside of the Loop, but still close to the El. I will check in greater detail tomorrow after I drop Sally at school.
I've never needed a car in Chicago (or Boston, NYC, Philadelphia or Washington, D.C.). Unless you decide to go to the Aurora outlets, you should be fine on the El. Everything I've read says that parking is expensive and hard to find.
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Post by Kathleen C-C on Jan 3, 2010 22:21:53 GMT -5
Kathleen how are you getting there? I had already checked Amtrack, but even being a month shy of 30, 10 hours on a train by myself sounds scary! No Nancy, Greyhound is scary - Amtrak is super fun! The train leaves Memphis at 10:40 p.m., so you'll probably be asleep for most of it. Before I bought a car I had to take Greyhound from Starkville/Knoxville to get home from college on breaks, and I hate it so much now! The trip from Starkville took 8 hours, 3 hours of which was taken up by a layover. The layover bus station was always closed when the bus pulled up, so I often spent the time sitting on the curb alone or with complete strangers! I have also taken MegaBus from Memphis to Chicago. Fares for it start at just $1, depending on when you buy it. I don't want to drive to CHI by myself and then have to hunt and pay for parking, so I am going to take the train.
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Post by pkaugust on Jan 3, 2010 23:23:30 GMT -5
This is so cool. I'd love to join yall - it'd be a great trip I have two best friends in Chicago and it'd be so nice to see them and meet you all. Katrina, Paul told me the same thing when I was more active before the semester killed me because I always said "the girls on the board" over and over, hahaha! This has been my favorite online community, even when I wasn't as active I always enjoyed coming back to see how everyone was. If you still need people, I may be able too. I've got to see what next summer looks like after I hear back from my hopeful Fall '10 internship.
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Post by ramona on Jan 5, 2010 10:30:44 GMT -5
I am sitting here on a very cold Tuesday morning dreaming of warm summer days! (not hot, just warm) Kathleen do you write? You news article is very good and creative! I REALLY enjoyed reading it! I suggest you consider writing a few short stories, maybe something for kids and even in novel. Your used one thought and created a whole story. and it really was believable especially to the Vear fan! I guess we will have to check your baggage for scissors!
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Post by melzel19 on Jan 6, 2010 14:58:35 GMT -5
Kathleen your little article cracked me up!!! I always love reading your posts because they aren't your typical sales posts I hope you all really do go to Chicago! I can't wait to hear about it!
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Post by Kathleen C-C on Jan 7, 2010 1:22:23 GMT -5
Glad you guys liked the article, lol. My first attempt at the official Shrek Trek 2010! t-shirt is at the bottom of this post! I'm really bad at drawing and I've never used Paint before tonight. This was especially difficult because I was holding my foot up in front of the monitor and trying to trace it with the mouse. Brian officially thinks I am crazy...but he's had his suspicions for 24+ years, lol. This was the gist of our conversation: Brian: "WHAT are you doing?" Me: I'm trying to trace my foot." Brian: "Why?" Me: "For my Shrekkies." Brian: "Your what?!" Me: "The girls online that want to go with me to Chicago." Brian: "Why do they need to see your foot?" Me: "For the shirt, that goes with the article." Brian: "WHAT are you talking about? Geez. I do not speak Crazy Girl Talk. If you're only going to speak in code, I'm going to bed. Don't keep the baby up too late." <snorts in disgust, leaves the room> <cut to me, lying on the floor with my foot in the air, trying to draw it with the mouse>
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Post by momtobarneytaco on Jan 7, 2010 4:10:07 GMT -5
OMG Kathleen, hilarious!!!! (The story, not the shirt. The shirt is just super cool!) "Do not speak Crazy Girl Talk...." LMAO!
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Post by ramona on Jan 7, 2010 8:58:32 GMT -5
I thought Mary (my daughter she's 21) and I were the only ones who knew crazy girl talk! I hear my hubby snort all the time! Love the shirt!!!
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