The Secret Recipe?

Last night I stopped in at the local Kentucky Fried Chicken to pick up some food for my kids. As I was standing at the counter waiting for my order, I glanced over and saw a big dry-erase board behind the manager's desk. This board was in full view of anyone who came into the restaurant and it was a list of all the things that needed to be done that week. The third item on the list, written in bold red ink, in all capital letters, with extra exclamation points read as follows:

CALL INSECTECUTIONER!!!!!

How to tell you are not in America, part 3

If doing the laundry involves a trip to the local hot springs, you might not be in America.

On another note, the picture above was taken at the hot springs just a few kilometers from the Nakhal Fort. That trip will be the subject of the next installment of "Adventures in Oman". I'll get around to writing it soon. I hope. Maybe after my laundry is done (and no, I don't have to tote it to the stream, thank God).

How to tell you are not in America, part 2

Last week, after the New Student Orientation at Blaine's school, I took the kids out for lunch. We went to a local pizza place, and they have their own version of "happy meals" for the kids. It includes a drink, a kid-sized cheese pizza and, of course, a toy.

So, that brings us to part 2: The Toys. If your happy meal toys look like this - you might not be in America.

I call this one "Top of Death". It came with a long string, ostensibly to wrap around the top to make it spin on the extremely sharp nail that is sticking out of it. Just the toy for a 5 year old and his 19 month old sister.

I like to call this doll "Propecia Patty". As you can see, she has an unfortunate thinning hair situation going on. And the ironic part is that she came with a comb. Kyra just looked at the doll, then at me like "you have GOT to be kidding me." And the hair? It wasn't the worst part of this doll. Nope.

It's kind of hard to tell in this photo (because I have awesome photography skillz) but her arms? They are completely flat. Like Gilderoy Lockhart tried to mend a broken bone. Kyra, who is not the most discriminating of kids, doesn't even want to play with her. She's currently sitting on my desk next to the Top of Death. Soon they will both be sitting in the trash can. I guess it wasn't such a "happy" meal for Propecia Patty.