Don't touch my junk. Every crisis needs a tag-line or catch phrase and the recent uproar over the enhanced screening procedures being used by TSA at the nation's airports has a good one.
I've thought about what we should be doing at our airports to make sure we are safe. I'm not sure I have a good answer.
On one hand, I want to take every precaution to ensure the people getting on airplanes - especially planes I might be flying on - aren't planning to blow up the plane or crash it into something. I'm don't know if what we are doing today in the name of security is really providing us with security. Let's look at Will Rogers World Airport here in Oklahoma City. Officials at Will Rogers have said they don't currently have the scanning machines that take the near-naked images of travellers and they only use the enhanced pat down technique on those travellers that set off the metal detector. We've been "screening" passengers for years. We provide a photo ID and today we're required to provide our full name and birthdate when we purchase tickets. If the new image scanners and the pat downs are really about security then why don't we require every passenger to go through them? I'm not excited about having some strange man running his hands up my thighs or across my butt, but maybe the price of getting on an airplane is being subject to such screening.
On the other hand, I do agree there is something to the old saying that if you're willing to give up some liberty to get security then you really don't deserve either. And their is absolutely no question allowing random travellers to be subjected to enhanced screenings is giving up a little of our liberty. The stories we're hearing about the treatment of some passengers from TSA workers putting their hands inside a passenger's underwear or busting a passenger's catheter bag and spilling urine everywhere are simply unacceptable to anyone and everyone. I don't know what my wife will do if she has to fly anytime soon and gets subject to what she believes is an inappropriate search. I don't fear for her safety but more for the safety of the TSA agent.
I guess the thing that bothers me most is TSA says these new techniques are the result of trying to prevent another Christmas Day bomber from getting on a plane. I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but if the Christmas Day bomber was the catalyst for this effort, can anyone explain why it took 11 months to implement new security procedures. I mean TSA managed to ban liquids within days of detecting a threat from mixing certain liquid compounds.
I saw an interview on television several days ago with an Israeli security expert who basically said we do everything wrong in terms of airport security. His comments were that airport security has to start before you get in the airport. Further he said all cars are stopped before they get to the airport and all passengers are questioned by college educated, well trained screening personnel. Yes they are profiling passengers, but they start by interviewing all passengers so there is no "discrimination." After an initial interview, all passengers are again interviewed in the airport and anyone who seems suspicious gets detained for an even more detailed screening process.
The current administration in Washington has show a clear propensity to over-reach and I believe the new enhanced screening procedures are just the latest example of over-reach. Instead of studying what other countries do that has proven to be effective, we simply react to what ever we have discovered the terrorists have already tried to do. A wise man once told me reacting to an issue faster than before is NOT the same as being proactive. There is absolutely nothing proactive in these screening procedures. They are simply a reaction to a symptom of the problem.
Let's address the problem of terrorists wanting to get on airplanes by figuring out how to keep them out of the airport - not hoping we can keep them from getting knives or bombs on a plane.
Until then - don't touch my junk.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
There Is No Cheese and Obviously No Plan
I have resisted as long as humanly possible but I simply don't have the ability to resist any longer. If I try to keep it in any longer I just might explode. And that wouldn't be pretty for anyone.
If you haven't had the good fortune to go driving in downtown Oklahoma City lately, thank your lucky stars because there is absolutely nothing good or fortunate about traffic and the road construction downtown.
It seems as if every street in downtown in Oklahoma City is all under repair at the same time. I knew the construction of the Devon tower would be an inconvenience. Aside from being an unbelievable distraction as I watch out my window, feel my building shake, or wait on the elevator due to the increased traffic our building since all the construction companies seemed to be headquartered in our building, the City of Oklahoma City has decide every road around my building - AND ALL OF DOWNTOWN - at the same time.
I don't know what brain surgeon allowed the City to begin an unbelievable amount of road improvement projects at the same time as the Devon Tower project, Sandridge Energy's new building project, the reconstruction of the Myriad Gardens and who-knows-what-else, but they should be tied to a road construction barrel so commuters can share our thoughts about the construction projects as we drive into and out of downtown every day.
I left my office this morning to run a quick errand at lunch. I jumped in the truck and left my parking garage after waiting for what seemed like forever for an opening in the traffic to get out on the road. Why did I have to wait so long? Because what used to be a four-lane street outside the garage is now only two lanes. And did I mention this is the main northbound road on west side of downtown. It used to be four lanes with all traffic going one-way north. Now we're down to two lanes. So, think about this for a minute. They built a road to provide the main ingress from the south for the bulk of downtown and they believed it would take four-lanes to carry all the traffic. Now they've cut the number of lanes in half - but nobody bothered to reduce the number of cars.
After getting out of the garage, I drove to the First National Building. After running my errand, I headed back out the truck and started for I-40 (which is south of the FNB). I turned south on the main road that runs between the Sheraton and the Renaissance Hotels and smack into the north side of the Cox Convention Center. I know there is road construction both to the east and west of this intersection but I have to go one way or the other and there are no signs telling you how to get to the interstate. Before the construction began, you would turn to the west at this intersection, go a block and then turn south to I-40. Nothing tells you this has changed until you get to the street you would turn south on and the road closed signs force you to go north. One block north of this intersection is another forced turn to the east. If you can follow all those directions, you'll see that the construction has forced me to drive around the block looking for away to get where I want to go. I did finally make it the four blocks south to I-40, but I had to go three blocks north and two blocks east before I could go back south to the interstate. Follow all that??
I'm not some idiot that doesn't know his way around downtown. I'm not some tourist who's never seen Oklahoma City. I work down there. Every day.
I told you the the street providing major ingress to downtown is down to two lanes. It gets even better. The street providing major egress from downtown is also down to two lanes. Normally, when you close lanes on a multi-lane road, you close multiple lanes on the right side of the street or on the left side of the street. In this case, the brain trust has closed the center three lanes of Hudson and has taken away the curbside parking next to our building so we can use it at a driving lane. To help with this picture, think about five lanes of traffic all headed south. Now, close the center three lanes and what do you think happens to traffic at 5 p.m. every day?
I'm sure somewhere there is a single person that had to approve all the construction projects. I find it hard to believe someone really looked at the projects in their entirety and thought all these projects should be completed at one time.
For those of us who travel it every day, its like being in a maze looking for the cheese only to discover the guy who was supposed to put out the cheese couldn't find his way to work to put it out. It's only two more years until the finish the Devon Tower. Maybe we'll have at least one road open with no construction by then.
If you haven't had the good fortune to go driving in downtown Oklahoma City lately, thank your lucky stars because there is absolutely nothing good or fortunate about traffic and the road construction downtown.
It seems as if every street in downtown in Oklahoma City is all under repair at the same time. I knew the construction of the Devon tower would be an inconvenience. Aside from being an unbelievable distraction as I watch out my window, feel my building shake, or wait on the elevator due to the increased traffic our building since all the construction companies seemed to be headquartered in our building, the City of Oklahoma City has decide every road around my building - AND ALL OF DOWNTOWN - at the same time.
I don't know what brain surgeon allowed the City to begin an unbelievable amount of road improvement projects at the same time as the Devon Tower project, Sandridge Energy's new building project, the reconstruction of the Myriad Gardens and who-knows-what-else, but they should be tied to a road construction barrel so commuters can share our thoughts about the construction projects as we drive into and out of downtown every day.
I left my office this morning to run a quick errand at lunch. I jumped in the truck and left my parking garage after waiting for what seemed like forever for an opening in the traffic to get out on the road. Why did I have to wait so long? Because what used to be a four-lane street outside the garage is now only two lanes. And did I mention this is the main northbound road on west side of downtown. It used to be four lanes with all traffic going one-way north. Now we're down to two lanes. So, think about this for a minute. They built a road to provide the main ingress from the south for the bulk of downtown and they believed it would take four-lanes to carry all the traffic. Now they've cut the number of lanes in half - but nobody bothered to reduce the number of cars.
After getting out of the garage, I drove to the First National Building. After running my errand, I headed back out the truck and started for I-40 (which is south of the FNB). I turned south on the main road that runs between the Sheraton and the Renaissance Hotels and smack into the north side of the Cox Convention Center. I know there is road construction both to the east and west of this intersection but I have to go one way or the other and there are no signs telling you how to get to the interstate. Before the construction began, you would turn to the west at this intersection, go a block and then turn south to I-40. Nothing tells you this has changed until you get to the street you would turn south on and the road closed signs force you to go north. One block north of this intersection is another forced turn to the east. If you can follow all those directions, you'll see that the construction has forced me to drive around the block looking for away to get where I want to go. I did finally make it the four blocks south to I-40, but I had to go three blocks north and two blocks east before I could go back south to the interstate. Follow all that??
I'm not some idiot that doesn't know his way around downtown. I'm not some tourist who's never seen Oklahoma City. I work down there. Every day.
I told you the the street providing major ingress to downtown is down to two lanes. It gets even better. The street providing major egress from downtown is also down to two lanes. Normally, when you close lanes on a multi-lane road, you close multiple lanes on the right side of the street or on the left side of the street. In this case, the brain trust has closed the center three lanes of Hudson and has taken away the curbside parking next to our building so we can use it at a driving lane. To help with this picture, think about five lanes of traffic all headed south. Now, close the center three lanes and what do you think happens to traffic at 5 p.m. every day?
I'm sure somewhere there is a single person that had to approve all the construction projects. I find it hard to believe someone really looked at the projects in their entirety and thought all these projects should be completed at one time.
For those of us who travel it every day, its like being in a maze looking for the cheese only to discover the guy who was supposed to put out the cheese couldn't find his way to work to put it out. It's only two more years until the finish the Devon Tower. Maybe we'll have at least one road open with no construction by then.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Thank You
This Veterans Day it warms my heart to see so many people reaching out to our veterans and saying “thanks.”
I’ve always had a great appreciation for those who serve and have served in our military. Although I didn’t serve, my father and father-in-law did, and my brother-in-law serves.
On my wife’s Facebook page this morning, she posted a note thanking our veterans and encouraging others to also remember and thank the families and supporters of those who serve. She’s sharing this from personal experience and it’s one of the things I truly love about my wife.
When we got married, her brother was deployed to Iraq. This past summer, he finished a 12 month activation and deployment to Afghanistan. Until then, I never really appreciated what must happen at home so soldiers can go overseas and defend our way of life. My wife was the “go-to person” for her brother: She paid his bills, helped shop for clothes for his kids, managed the kids’ health care needs, bought Christmas gifts for family and friends, kept his dog while he was deployed, and she even helped him shop for Christmas gifts for his girlfriend.
She served as a “parent” to her nephews. When they weren’t behaving for their mother, Aunt M called and encouraged them to do better.
I guess I always knew these things had to be done, but I never really appreciated all it entailed. I can’t imagine what it is like for a spouse to spend months and months alone or home with the children while a husband or wife is deployed.
As we discussed from time to time during his last deployment, the biggest thing my wife wanted to accomplish was to make sure her brother didn’t have to worry about what was happening at home. This would ensure he could devote his thoughts and energies to staying safe and dealing with the immediate tasks in front of him. I’m sure it was a comfort to him to know she was covering his responsibilities at home.
So as I remember our veterans and those who serve today, thanks just isn’t a big enough word for the men and women in uniform – nor is it sufficient to show my gratitude to the family and friends who do their part at home. But it’s the best I can do.
Thank You to all those who are serving, those who have served, and those who have worked tirelessly to support them on the home front.
I’ve always had a great appreciation for those who serve and have served in our military. Although I didn’t serve, my father and father-in-law did, and my brother-in-law serves.
On my wife’s Facebook page this morning, she posted a note thanking our veterans and encouraging others to also remember and thank the families and supporters of those who serve. She’s sharing this from personal experience and it’s one of the things I truly love about my wife.
When we got married, her brother was deployed to Iraq. This past summer, he finished a 12 month activation and deployment to Afghanistan. Until then, I never really appreciated what must happen at home so soldiers can go overseas and defend our way of life. My wife was the “go-to person” for her brother: She paid his bills, helped shop for clothes for his kids, managed the kids’ health care needs, bought Christmas gifts for family and friends, kept his dog while he was deployed, and she even helped him shop for Christmas gifts for his girlfriend.
She served as a “parent” to her nephews. When they weren’t behaving for their mother, Aunt M called and encouraged them to do better.
I guess I always knew these things had to be done, but I never really appreciated all it entailed. I can’t imagine what it is like for a spouse to spend months and months alone or home with the children while a husband or wife is deployed.
As we discussed from time to time during his last deployment, the biggest thing my wife wanted to accomplish was to make sure her brother didn’t have to worry about what was happening at home. This would ensure he could devote his thoughts and energies to staying safe and dealing with the immediate tasks in front of him. I’m sure it was a comfort to him to know she was covering his responsibilities at home.
So as I remember our veterans and those who serve today, thanks just isn’t a big enough word for the men and women in uniform – nor is it sufficient to show my gratitude to the family and friends who do their part at home. But it’s the best I can do.
Thank You to all those who are serving, those who have served, and those who have worked tirelessly to support them on the home front.
Monday, November 8, 2010
The Cat Ate the Candy
One thing we have been thankful for around my house is we don't have the usual sibling arguments about who broke the lamp or who's shoes are left in the living room. Obviously the broken lamp would be Elizabeth's work and the shoes in the living room are mine, but I digress.
Since Halloween, E has had a huge amount of candy around the house and, like all kids, she wants candy 24 hours a day. M and I don't usually worry too much about what E eats and as long as she ate her normal meal, we allow her to have some candy.
However, candy before breakfast is always a no-no. We've told her that for more than a week and we've told that almost every day.
On Sunday morning, we woke up to find E curled up on the floor by our bed with her Halloween bag full of candy. We could hear the paper crinkling and when we asked her what she was doing, she looked up at us and said "nothing." A little looking on our part found the bag of candy and we took it away from her and reminded her we don't eat candy before breakfast. I know. I know. We're a couple of sticks in the mud, but isn't that a parent's job?
This morning, E woke up before we did - she's still on daylight savings time. When i woke a few minutes before 7 a.m. I knew I had heard her rummaging around the house. I got up and went looking for E expecting to find her on the floor in our room. Nope, she wasn't there and she wasn't in her room either. As I walked through the house looking for her, I finally found her hiding under a blanket on the couch.
As I pulled back the blanket, I heard the unmistakable sound of a candy wrapper crinkling under the blanket. I found her with a bag of M&M's in her had and a mouth full of chocolate. When I asked her why she was eating candy before breakfast, she told me the cats had been in the candy and she was only picking up after them.
So, since E doesn't have any brothers or sisters to blame for the candy wrappers or the open candy, she chooses to blame the cats. I thought I had prepared for most things E could tell me and I know we've all heard the story of the dog eating my homework, but I never expected to hear the cat ate the candy.
Since Halloween, E has had a huge amount of candy around the house and, like all kids, she wants candy 24 hours a day. M and I don't usually worry too much about what E eats and as long as she ate her normal meal, we allow her to have some candy.
However, candy before breakfast is always a no-no. We've told her that for more than a week and we've told that almost every day.
On Sunday morning, we woke up to find E curled up on the floor by our bed with her Halloween bag full of candy. We could hear the paper crinkling and when we asked her what she was doing, she looked up at us and said "nothing." A little looking on our part found the bag of candy and we took it away from her and reminded her we don't eat candy before breakfast. I know. I know. We're a couple of sticks in the mud, but isn't that a parent's job?
This morning, E woke up before we did - she's still on daylight savings time. When i woke a few minutes before 7 a.m. I knew I had heard her rummaging around the house. I got up and went looking for E expecting to find her on the floor in our room. Nope, she wasn't there and she wasn't in her room either. As I walked through the house looking for her, I finally found her hiding under a blanket on the couch.
As I pulled back the blanket, I heard the unmistakable sound of a candy wrapper crinkling under the blanket. I found her with a bag of M&M's in her had and a mouth full of chocolate. When I asked her why she was eating candy before breakfast, she told me the cats had been in the candy and she was only picking up after them.
So, since E doesn't have any brothers or sisters to blame for the candy wrappers or the open candy, she chooses to blame the cats. I thought I had prepared for most things E could tell me and I know we've all heard the story of the dog eating my homework, but I never expected to hear the cat ate the candy.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
The Questions Never Stop
"Momma, why do we have to sell Funny and Blankey?"
"Why is Mommy scared of the dark?"
These two questions have been haunting me and M all weekend. Here's why:
Over the weekend we took E to Stillwater for the OSU basketball and football games. While at the basketball game on Friday night, we could look down on the floor of the arena and see Pistol Pete. E absolutely loves Pistol Pete. Anytime we see him on TV, in a magazine, or on a shirt, E jumps up and yells "It's Pistol Pete!!"
Well we could see Pete down on the floor during the basketball game and E wanted to go to the floor to say "hi" to Pete. Her mother and I tried explaining we didn't have tickets for floor access.
"But why don't we have tickets on the floor?"
"Because they cost too much."
"But I want them."
"We would have to give up lots of things to be able to afford those tickets."
"What kinds of things?"
And here is where I went wrong for the first time this weekend. "We'd have to sell blankey and funny."
For the uneducated, it should be obvious what "blankey" is. "Funny" is this little cloth with satin finish on one side and teddy bear head on the other. We don't go anywhere for an overnight trip without blankey and funny. We don't nap in the afternoon without blankey and funny. We certainly don't go to bed at night without blankey and funny.
You'd have thought I was going to cut off one of her arms. "You can't sell funny and blankey."
Now, she was willing to consider selling them if we could get tickets to see Pete - or so I thought. Eventually I told her we weren't going to sell blankey and funny because no one wanted them. "I want them" was the immediate response.
Despite her unwillingness to sell blankey and funny, she still wanted to go see Pete. And right up to the time we left the game she continued to ask why we couldn't go see Pete. After we got back to the motel and got to bed, I thought the discussion about blankey and funny was passed and we could move on. Little did I know it would come up again.
On Saturday morning, I got up early to go set up our tailgate and get the food ready for the day. I was showered and dressed when E woke up and asked if she could go with me. I told her she needed to stay at the motel with Mommy.
"Why do I have to stay with Mommy?"
And here was my second big misstatement of the weekend - "She's afraid of the dark and you need to stay here to make her feel good."
"Why is Mommy afraid of the dark?"
Where do you go from here? Way too many times I discover that most 4-year-olds don't appreciate sarcasm or pick up on a joke well. And this weekend was certainly no exception.
While I had left the M and E at the motel to go set up the tailgate, M was stuck with a little girl who kept asking the same two questions non-stop - Why are you afraid of the dark? and Why does Daddy want to sell my blankey and funny?
Needless to say, by the time they got to the stadium, M was tired of those two questions and whatever follow-up questions her answers spawned and I got an earful from a very tired Mommy.
"Why is Mommy scared of the dark?"
These two questions have been haunting me and M all weekend. Here's why:
Over the weekend we took E to Stillwater for the OSU basketball and football games. While at the basketball game on Friday night, we could look down on the floor of the arena and see Pistol Pete. E absolutely loves Pistol Pete. Anytime we see him on TV, in a magazine, or on a shirt, E jumps up and yells "It's Pistol Pete!!"
Well we could see Pete down on the floor during the basketball game and E wanted to go to the floor to say "hi" to Pete. Her mother and I tried explaining we didn't have tickets for floor access.
"But why don't we have tickets on the floor?"
"Because they cost too much."
"But I want them."
"We would have to give up lots of things to be able to afford those tickets."
"What kinds of things?"
And here is where I went wrong for the first time this weekend. "We'd have to sell blankey and funny."
For the uneducated, it should be obvious what "blankey" is. "Funny" is this little cloth with satin finish on one side and teddy bear head on the other. We don't go anywhere for an overnight trip without blankey and funny. We don't nap in the afternoon without blankey and funny. We certainly don't go to bed at night without blankey and funny.
You'd have thought I was going to cut off one of her arms. "You can't sell funny and blankey."
Now, she was willing to consider selling them if we could get tickets to see Pete - or so I thought. Eventually I told her we weren't going to sell blankey and funny because no one wanted them. "I want them" was the immediate response.
Despite her unwillingness to sell blankey and funny, she still wanted to go see Pete. And right up to the time we left the game she continued to ask why we couldn't go see Pete. After we got back to the motel and got to bed, I thought the discussion about blankey and funny was passed and we could move on. Little did I know it would come up again.
On Saturday morning, I got up early to go set up our tailgate and get the food ready for the day. I was showered and dressed when E woke up and asked if she could go with me. I told her she needed to stay at the motel with Mommy.
"Why do I have to stay with Mommy?"
And here was my second big misstatement of the weekend - "She's afraid of the dark and you need to stay here to make her feel good."
"Why is Mommy afraid of the dark?"
Where do you go from here? Way too many times I discover that most 4-year-olds don't appreciate sarcasm or pick up on a joke well. And this weekend was certainly no exception.
While I had left the M and E at the motel to go set up the tailgate, M was stuck with a little girl who kept asking the same two questions non-stop - Why are you afraid of the dark? and Why does Daddy want to sell my blankey and funny?
Needless to say, by the time they got to the stadium, M was tired of those two questions and whatever follow-up questions her answers spawned and I got an earful from a very tired Mommy.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
But I Wanted to Win!!
This evening was open house at Elizabeth's school. We saw her teacher and the principal and the crossing guard and E told them all "Good Morning" just like she does every day when we get to school. It didn't matter to her that it was 7 p.m. She still said good morning to everyone.
There was a silent auction, pizza slices for sale, build-a-bear, everything a growing a school needs to raise money - and very little to entertain kids while mom and dad worked the raffle table or bid on auction items or whatever else we're supposed to do.
We did visit E's class and she showed where she sat on the carpet when her class gathered around the teacher. She demonstrated the faces of her class including brilliant blue, greedy green, and pokey pink.
But the highlight of the evening had to be when we all went to the gym for the raffle drawing. The kids had all been sent home with 24 raffle tickets to sell and I'm guessing most of the kids had sold their tickets. There had to be thousands of tickets in the hopper. With the principal reaching into a huge tumbler to draw names, a volunteer paraded out the prizes to be won.
They had a new bicycle, an iPad, a fender guitar, an XBox, two iPod shuffles, and a new Sony Google TV. That's right, six prizes for thousands of entries. Once E had heard there were iPods for prizes she was certain she would win one because she really wanted one because the old one of her mothers that she gets to listen to has a bad battery in it and it always needs charging.
As we sat in the middle of the gym floor with E in her mother's lap, the drawing started. The crowd is noisy and it's hard to hear. The first name was a family right in front of us and they picked the TV. Elizabeth was OK with that because she wanted the iPod. The second prize chosen was the iPad and then the XBox. When the first iPod was picked, E started to get cranky. When the second iPod was taken E began to recognize she wasn't going to win an iPod. And when the bicycle and guitar were gone it became a reality. E didn't win.
And that's when the tears started. I'm not talking about a few I'm unhappy with momma tears. I'm talking about full blown crying and wailing. "But I wanted to win!!" and even more tears.
Her mother and I both tried really hard not to laugh at the drama but this was high drama for a 4-year-old. Her mother finally got her to calm down by telling her she could as Santa for a new iPod. While that stopped the tears, it immediately started the demanding-toned-questions of when will Santa be here and how do I ask him.
I know it will only get better as she gets older, but WOW, what an evening.
There was a silent auction, pizza slices for sale, build-a-bear, everything a growing a school needs to raise money - and very little to entertain kids while mom and dad worked the raffle table or bid on auction items or whatever else we're supposed to do.
We did visit E's class and she showed where she sat on the carpet when her class gathered around the teacher. She demonstrated the faces of her class including brilliant blue, greedy green, and pokey pink.
But the highlight of the evening had to be when we all went to the gym for the raffle drawing. The kids had all been sent home with 24 raffle tickets to sell and I'm guessing most of the kids had sold their tickets. There had to be thousands of tickets in the hopper. With the principal reaching into a huge tumbler to draw names, a volunteer paraded out the prizes to be won.
They had a new bicycle, an iPad, a fender guitar, an XBox, two iPod shuffles, and a new Sony Google TV. That's right, six prizes for thousands of entries. Once E had heard there were iPods for prizes she was certain she would win one because she really wanted one because the old one of her mothers that she gets to listen to has a bad battery in it and it always needs charging.
As we sat in the middle of the gym floor with E in her mother's lap, the drawing started. The crowd is noisy and it's hard to hear. The first name was a family right in front of us and they picked the TV. Elizabeth was OK with that because she wanted the iPod. The second prize chosen was the iPad and then the XBox. When the first iPod was picked, E started to get cranky. When the second iPod was taken E began to recognize she wasn't going to win an iPod. And when the bicycle and guitar were gone it became a reality. E didn't win.
And that's when the tears started. I'm not talking about a few I'm unhappy with momma tears. I'm talking about full blown crying and wailing. "But I wanted to win!!" and even more tears.
Her mother and I both tried really hard not to laugh at the drama but this was high drama for a 4-year-old. Her mother finally got her to calm down by telling her she could as Santa for a new iPod. While that stopped the tears, it immediately started the demanding-toned-questions of when will Santa be here and how do I ask him.
I know it will only get better as she gets older, but WOW, what an evening.
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