Melissa Franckowiak's Blog
November 4, 2019
October 24, 2019
Avoiding Airport lines
The best way to avoid lines is to book travel during off peak times. For example, during March break, Pearson Airport in Toronto welcomed 130k travelers. If booking during off peak season isn’t possible, applying well in advance for a Nexus trusted traveler card allows you to bypass the main TSA line, usually. The application process can take a few months. It’s free for children, and has a modest fee for adults, 50$. Apply for US census card at the TTP, Trusted Traveler Program website.
Every person in the travel party must have a card to use the priority line, and you may have to put the numbers of the card in at bag check, or online when you book the reservation, in order for it to show up on your ticket.
To keep everyone moving quickly through security, have any liquids in a zip lock baggie ready to present to the agent, and make sure they conform to the volume restrictions. Have tickets and IDs ready to present, as well as phones, keys and other metal items out of pockets before moving through the metal detectors. This ensures seamless checkpoints for all.
Sneaky tricks to avoid the line up to board include always bringing your child in a stroller to the gate. You’ll get a tag for the stroller that allows you to check it right before stepping onto the plane, and often be allowed to board with or shortly after priority boarding. There are limits to this. No 9 year olds in strollers, please. Let’s be fair.
Choosing a credit card that allows priority status on the airline you travel most frequently also often allows priority boarding. My favorite is the Jet Blue card through Barclay Card. Enough miles will get you mosaic status, offering one free bag checked, priority boarding, and other perks. http://Barclaycard.us.com
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October 15, 2019
The Judge as Adam
Every character's name is intentional, well thought out, so why has noone suggested the obvious about Cormac McCarthy's Judge Holden, despite knowing his omniscience, his supernatural power to show up anywhere and read minds, know the intentions of others, and his anatomical strength of body, white (symbolic) hue and more importantly, McCarthy's repeated examination of the paradox of a loving God creating all things evil in the world? War. Violence. rape. murder. Why must the judge represent the devil and how does our own fear shape this interpretation? Do we trust God?
Now ask yourself, who is the ultimate judge? Why did McCarthy select this name?
Judge not lest ye be judged.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
McCarthy loves to remind us that God created man in his own image.
Anything that exists without my knowledge exists without my consent, says the judge
Terrifying, but digest that for a moment.
McCarthy suggests the Roman Catholic dogma he was raised in, that we must never doubt that this horrible world we live in filled with evil is only a passage. We are stewards. The real kingdom of God awaits and the world reminds us that such salvation is necessary and beautiful and will never be otherwise nor known in any reach of the imagination to those who doubt it.
October 4, 2019
All inclusive? Yes or no?
Redtagvacations.ca allowed us to take two of our favorite trips ever. Both were under 1,000 USD per person. With the US dollar doing well, we booked our trips on this Canadian travel site, taking advantage of our close proximity to Pearson Airport in Toronto, Canada. I’m from Buffalo, NY, my significant other, Canadian. While August was technically considered rainy season in Puerto Vallarta, we had little rain, lots of sun, and an action packed, all inclusive vacation with great food and white table linen service. Occidental Grand Nueva in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, featured specialty restaurants in addition to the traditional Mexican cuisine. Our favorite was the ceviche restaurant, featuring all sorts of varieties of this fresh seafood dish that we’re not often treated to up north. The resort included activities such as beach yoga, archery, poolside Zumba, billiards and kayaking tours. August was hearing up, and when we returned from our excursions zip lining the mountains of Jalisco, horseback riding up trailers to witness jungle water falls, or swimming beneath natural rock formations to hidden beaches, we were treated with the best margaritas in town.
We returned to Central America for another Redtagvacations.ca vacation, at Occidental Papagayo, which included reliable airfare on West Jet direct to our destination, just as it did the previous year, but this time, we chose Guanacste, Costa Rica. Still under 1,000 per person for an all inclusive stay at a four star resort, we thoroughly enjoyed the mountainous terrain, breathtaking scenery, and local cuisine. After white water rafting the Tenorio River, we headed to Cocoa Beach for some local cuisine. I haven’t been able to replicate to macadamia nut pesto drowning crab legs, shrimp and scallops at Seafood Papagayo, but it’s simply one more reason to return.
https://wanderlust-journal.com/2019/05/26/melissa-franckowiak-profile/amp/
Parent Portal. Love it or hate it?
Parent Portal. Love it or hate it?
October 4, 2019
by melissacrickard
On one hand, I love Parent Portal. I know if my child misses an assignment or gets a low test score long before report cards and progress reports come out. On the other hand, online systems may be a detriment to independence if parents (like me, admittedly!) are constantly checking and micro managing grades. Sometimes,… Read more
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On one hand, I love Parent Portal. I know if my child misses an assignment or gets a low test score long before report cards and progress reports come out. On the other hand, online systems may be a detriment to independence if parents (like me, admittedly!) are constantly checking and micro managing grades. Sometimes, they need to figure out how to plan for tests and upcoming project deadlines on their own, skills that will carry them through life. Teachers, too, may be bombarded by emails regarding multiple items. I recently learned that it’s not proper netiquette to ask them about portal grades repeatedly. Checking in once in a while is good, but every day may not serve parents, students or teachers well. Teachers do not always up date the portals regularly, which can be a source of stress.
