Family vacation without the Internet - YIKES!

I am on vacation with my family and for the record -- it's different than being on vacation with the butt sisters. When I'm with the butt sisters I check out of the other roles I play in life...IE. mom, wife, chauffeur, meal planner, ATM, and problem solver. While on vacation with my family I retain ALL my daily roles with the addition of one more -- person who sits around while everyone else is off having fun.

Not that I'm complaining, exactly. I do enjoy time where I can do my own thing, read, write, snooze...the usual vacation stuff. The difference is my "free" time is structured around the needs of everyone else.

I can't sleep in because Techno Spouse has to get to the course in time to "practice" BEFORE his 7:30 a.m. tee time. I can't go back to bed because teen and friend have to be dropped at the bus stop by 9:20. It's necessary they get to Japan asap to consume sickeningly sweet beverages sealed with a glass marble. I still can't go back to bed because maintenance will be showing up any minute to fix the toilet.

The good news is - once I get everyone situated (and the toilet is fixed) I have a couple of hours before it's time to repeat the morning in reverse. I choose to spend my time in the company of complete strangers. Here I sit with a collection of other Internet-deprived folks.

We are in Orlando, and much to my dismay, my travel agent - Techno Spouse - booked us a timeshare WITHOUT wifi in the rooms!!! What was he thinking????

If you had asked me WHO misses the Internet most while on vacation -- my flipant reply would have been teens, of course. My teen can't get through a meal without checking her Facebook - but here I sit with an eclectic mix of adults - not a kid in sight.

Accross the room sits a guy close to 80 with his laptop open. His little-old-lady wife has her own laptop with flower stickers on the cover. Next to them a couple of middle-aged women are furiously typing and laughing. Nearby a guy in business attire is speaking German into his cell while banging his keyboard. He doesn't seem happy. A young mom sits next to me downloading her Disney pics - sleeping baby with Mickey, sleeping baby with Snow White, sleeping baby on It's A Small World ride, sleeping baby on Safari ride in Animal Kindgom ... gotta love sleeping babies... Hot guy just replaced young mom sitting next to me. I immediately sit up straighter (never underestimate the value of good posture). Oh darn - hot girlfriend joins him. I resume my slouch.

Suddenly I realize I am the sole English-only speaker in the room. Hmmm -- I should have paid more attention in French class, or better yet learned Chinese, Japanese or Spanish. Hot guy is busily negotiating some type of business deal on his Blackberry -- seemlessly going between Spanish and English. There are several other languages I don't recognize in the room. I feel like the clueless American.

Clueless or not - I am an American and since I'm on vacation I have plenty of time to watch the Olympics and currently Michael Phelps is making me proud!

Time to go - Techno Spouse needs to be picked up...