So, have you seen this thingamajig?

We took the kid to a hotel with a water park inside to celebrate her birthday last weekend. It was a "kid suite," which included a separate area with a set of bunk beds, a desk, and a television mounted on the wall (so that it could be viewed from the top bunk). A was thrilled. The only drawback was that the remote control for our TV also worked for her TV. You can imagine the hilarity that ensued with that. "Mama, turn it back! I have to watch Nick-you-low-dee-on!"

Another feature of this hotel: an energy card. Have you seen these? Basically, the key card that gets you in the door also turns on your electricity. You put your card in a slot just inside the front door (after you enter the room), which then enables the electricity. The goal is to keep you from being a douche and leaving on every possible light and appliance in your room when you depart. In theory, you have to take your key card with you (otherwise, you can't get back in) and in doing so, you turn off the power to the joint. I thought the whole deal was pretty clever.

I'm not the type to waste electricity at home or elsewhere, so I didn't really need to be forced to conserve energy, but I can see how it would work for some folks . . . such as, the folks who live in my house. Granted, I do get a little over-zealous about turning out lights sometimes. I've been known to shut off the bathroom light while my daughter is pinching a loaf. "Mama! You did it agaaaaaaain!" I hear in a sing-songy voice. I also turn off lights while my husband is reading comics. I may or may not do that one on purpose.

The hotel's water park was a lot of fun. It was packed, of course. I read a copy of The Onion while P made sure the kid didn't drown. (This archived headline cracked me up.) We wrapped up the festivities with a cake, which was delicious. When I called the bakery to place the order (about a week before), it was clear to me that the order-taker's native tongue was not English. I must've spelled my daughter's name eight times. However, the cake was perfect. I was almost disappointed, as I'd hoped I'd have a doozy that I could submit to Cake Wrecks. Ah well, there's always next year.