The Chronicles of Marna

With excessive checked-bag fees, airlines have created the current insanity of air travel. To avoid the extra cost, passengers lug carry-ons the size of foot-lockers into the aircraft. Boarding slows to a snail’s pace as travelers struggle to find an overhead bin with enough room for their bag. Trying to exit is downright dangerous because oversized bags can fall on unsuspecting people.

When I recently flew to visit long-time friends, I wondered if my bag was small enough to carry-on. I checked the airline’s website for acceptable dimensions and found my suitcase was 1 1/2 inches too big. Since the website said “approximately,” I thought I might fudge it. At the airport, the wheels of my suitcase wouldn’t fit into the steel measuring crate. “It’ll have to be checked,” the airline attendant said. So, I ponied up an extra $25. Later, while standing in the security lines, I eyed the other carry-ons and realized my bag would have been one of the smaller ones, comparatively speaking.  Yet, I had been conscientious and didn’t exceed the limits. To add insult to injury, I flew a puddle jumper on both legs of my flight, and all bags were gate-checked anyway because there were no overhead bins.

Needless to say, on my return trip, I carried my (marginally oversized) bag onto the airplane. The only problem I encountered was it was slightly heavy and cumbersome to do a clean-and-jerk into the overhead bin. Next time, I’ll pack lighter and use a bona-fide carry-on bag.

Charges for checked bags vary. Here are fees for some airlines. Keep in mind, these are for domestic flights; international flights cost even more. On Southwest Airlines, your first and second bag flies for free. Spirit Air charges $45 for a carryon, $28 for first checked bag, $35 for second. Delta and USAir and Continental– $25 for first bag, $35 for second. JetBlue-one bag checked for free.

You should always consult the airline’s website before flying to avoid unexpected expenses. Also, if you check your bag online ahead of time, you can save a little bit of money.

Marna Krajeski, author of HOUSEHOLD BAGGAGE: The Moving Life of a Military Wife, HOUSEHOLD BAGGAGE HANDLERS: 56 Stories From the Hearts and Lives of Military Wives. Visit my second blog at www.GreatGetTogethers.com.

Amputees from three different wars and two generations climb to the highest point in Africa–19,340 feet. This is a remarkable and inspiring story.

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2010/08/11/disabled-american-veterans-summit-mount-kilimanjaro/

This video will give you chills. Gene Simmons stars, but the audience participation really makes the show. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg7UDtxul2U

Check out this touching video compilation of Soldiers reuniting with their families. Spoiler Alert: TEAR JERKER!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkGzqpGx1KU

Here are the resource links I mentioned in my presentation at the Ocean State Writers’ Conference on “Promoting Your Work With New Media.”

• Join Nelson Bates blog email and receive a free download of the book Best Website: Simple Steps to Successful Websites at www.BestWebsite.com

• Penguin offers this useful “Guide to Online Marketing” http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pdf/misc/penguin_authors_guide_to_online_

  marketing_summer_2008.pdf

• Build your own website: www.weebly.com, www.intuit.com

• www.Facebook.com

• For all your Facebook questions: www.AllFacebook.com

• My web host www.1and1.com

   

Earth Day 2010 coincided with me reading the book A Life Stripped Bare: My Year Trying to Live Ethically by Leo Hickman, a London journalist who accepts the challenge to take a step back from his “daily habits and consumer choices to understand their true impact.”

Like this self-effacing family guy, I’m not crazy-reckless with resources, but I have room for improvement. My children and I already compost kitchen waste, recycle paper, glass, and plastic, recharge batteries, carry groceries in canvas totes, grow a vegetable garden, and slurp water from #2 refillable sports bottles. I turn off the faucet when I brush my teeth and switch off lights as I leave the room (residual habits from the ’70s). My monthly bills and invoices come to me as e-statements, and I pay them online. I’ve used the same family computer and cell phone since 2004. When possible, I bike to the market or hardware store and carry my purchases home in a dorky handlebar basket, much to the chagrin of my teenagers.

Having read Hickman’s book, I’m inspired to make a few more commitments to ethical living. I’m going to unplug the television and cell phone charger when we’re not using them to save electricity. Today I inquired about purchasing a half share of Community Supported Agriculture, and I’ll start buying milk and eggs from local dairy farmers. I still plan to get household staples at the commissary, but I’ll read labels more carefully so we use earth-friendly cleaners, soap, and toilet paper. I’ll install a clothesline in the back yard (as my daughter recommended a year ago) and patronize the Saturday farmers’ market, which is conveniently located within walking distance of our (modest) home.

Small, simple steps in my Earth Day pledge to live more thoughtfully and less wastefully.

To celebrate the premier of “Army Wives” Season 4 tomorrow (Sunday, April 11 at 10 pm on  LifetimeTV), I’ve compiled six real-life Army stories that you’ll never see on the series. Some happened to me; some happened to others, but they’re all absolutely true.

1. Welcome to the Neighborhood-While in the backyard of the commander’s house for a summer cook-out, you reach for your can of Coca-Cola. Unknown to you, a wasp had taken up residence in the sugary beverage. When you tip back the can for a sip, the surprised wasp stings your top lip. (such a sensitive spot…you know how swollen those bites can get…not enough Benadryl in the world.)

2. Can’t Get Out of There Fast Enough-Having ducked into the PX to pick up a few items, you manage to see about everyone you know. You’re walking through the aisles with several  embarrassing but necessary items in your basket–let’s say hair dye and tampons–and you manage to run into everyone you know, including the general’s wife, who insists on having a nice long conversation with you.

3. Would You Like to Super-size That Drink? You have about one nerve left after an exhausting cross-country drive. At the end of a long move-in day, you’re sitting at a restaurant with a cranky four year old and a crying infant. Your husband hands the baby to you over the table instead of off to the side like he should. The baby’s foot catches on the quart-sized tumbler of iced tea and the entire contents dump into your lap. What happens next? (Hint: It’s not pretty.)

4. Potty Mouth-You have your three year old son in the shopping cart at the commissary. Dad is an Infantry company commander and the wee one has been privy to plenty of salty conversations between soldiers. You didn’t know the little guy was actually absorbing the lingo until you maneuver around a corner and accidentally broadside another cart. “Where the f*ck are you going?” your precious toddler yells at the silver-haired grandma.

5. Pass the Stuffed Mushrooms-Funny thing in the Army is that family physicians are considered to be part of a battalion so they attend all the unit social functions. Yes, that means you can be sitting across the banquet table sharing an appetizer and making small talk with the doctor who, just last week, either delivered your baby or completed your annual GYN exam or treated you for a yeast infection. (Try to act casual.)

6. He Took it Out of Context -A First Sergeant is out with his four-year old and runs into some of his buddies from work.  One guy asks, “Is this your son?” and the man answers in a joking macho way, “His mama says he is.” A few days later, the first sergeant and his son are talking to the chaplain after services. “Is this your daddy?” the chaplain asks the boy. “Mama says he is,” replies the four year old.

What about you? Do you have any gems you’re brave enough to share?

www.HouseholdBaggage.com

Eighty year old Buzz Aldrin competed on Dancing With the Stars last night, in what had to be the most entertaining and earnest performance of the evening.

Buzz Aldrin graduated third in his class from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1951. He was then commissioned into the Air Force, flew combat fighters in Korea, and was selected for the space program. On July 20, 1969 he became the second person to set foot on the moon after Neil Armstrong. (Do you remember watching that on TV? I do.)

Aldrin’s wife says he has always been a “risk taker” and Dancing With the Stars is just another example of that characteristic.

His segment kicked off with a videotaped pep talk from two astronauts on the international space station.

After the Cha-Cha number, the British judge, while commending Aldrin’s heroism, judged his dancing “awful,” to which the emcee asked “How’s that British space program going?”

The Italian judge said Buzz danced like he still had moon boots on.

Watching it, I felt a bit like when I see the seniors dancing in their aerobics class at the Y. A big smile crosses my face and I think, “I hope I’m still kickin’ like that and loving life when I’m 80.”

Aldrin recieved a standing ovation from the crowd as he walked off the dance floor.

Take the “40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge.”

In a recent article, I mentioned the “epic amounts of stuff” we’ve accumulated since moving to this house six years ago. There haven’t been any military moves to keep me living lean and clean. That’s why I love this challenge promoted by Faith & Family and brought to my attention by Lisa, a long-time friend who wrote “Michael’s Story” for Household Baggage Handlers.

Each day during Lent, fill a bag with belongings you no longer want or need, and donate it to charity. This not only helps a worthy organization, it demonstrates your ability to let go and practice non-attachment.

Plus, don’t we all know how good it feels to de-clutter a space, even if it’s just the top of the dresser?

Count me in. I’ll start by giving away clothes we don’t wear and books, then tend to the “scary” storage room in the basement.

Lent began on Wednesday, Feb 17 and finishes on Saturday, Apr 3. I’m a little late starting, but I’ll double up a few days and meet the spirit of the challenge.

Do you want to join me?

This beautiful and emotional performance of “Til the Last Shot’s Fired”  is available at itunes. Downloads support the Wounded Warrior Project, or donate  here.

The West Point Cadet Glee Club sings at the end of the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0mm4u2VzDs