Monthly Archives: April 2009

A New Grandson brings Mimi Back to the Future

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Little Jonah

I  wasn’t traveling the full 1.21 jigga-watt speed required to jettison me Back to the Future, but fast enough to lose a season.

Florida was warm and sunny, in full-foliage springtime bloom when I left.  I landed in Boston ‘s cold, bleak and leafless-tree winter. However, I grasped the future in my arms, picking up my newborn grandson, his script yet to be written.

I focused on my grown daughter Abby, a new Mom, beaming with love at her first baby. Thirty years replayed in my mind; the entire generation gone at mach speed.

In the movie, Back to the Future, Michael J. Fox ‘s character arrives in the past, surrounded by people wearing vintage clothing; retro hair styles, eating 50’s food and speaking outdated slang.

Mimi finds herself befuddled by new and improved objects-at least those for baby care: musical vibrating bassinets, diaper genies, crib video monitors and car seats that cleverly snap into strollers .  There must be twenty styles of binkies and bottles.

Luckily, infants remain unchanged. They still need midnight and three A.M. feedings, stacks of diapers, doll-sized outfits and baby shampoo, the kind that smells powdery sweet. But, oh my, nothing beats the bliss of cuddling a new babe.

Forget sending me back to the future, blast me forward.  I’d like to stick around (in good health) to see my grandchildren grow.

Little Jonah, welcome to your world.  May you wander through life under sunny, non-turbulent skies, at whatever travel speed you desire.

Debi loves her Ultra-Light 4-Wheeled Luggage

Heys Luggage
The Heys Ultra-Light 4-Wheeled Spinner Luggage

I wanted a new suitcase with spinner wheels; a bag with four wheels that can slide sideways, as well as be pushed or pulled.  I also wanted one as lightweight as possible.

Lo and behold, when I popped into T.J. Maxx one day (not looking for luggage), I found this amazing silver bag.   The piece lifted like a feather, much lighter than the others on display.  The exterior was sleek, made from polycarbonate; a hard sided plastic but somewhat flexible.  And the thing was even expandable with a divider and straps on the inside to keep your stuff from falling out.  Best of all, the price was low, only $70.

So, even though I didn’t recognize the manufacturer, I bought the Heys .  I figured I could search the Internet and compare quality, prices and ratings.  I could even return it, if necessary.

Here is what I discovered:

“The World’s Lightest Spinner Luggage” The HEYS USA 4WD is a 4-wheel Spinner luggage that is made from a Polycarbonate composite and uses Japanese made wheels. Polycarbonate is the same material used in the making of Bullet-proof glass. It is both durable and flexible so that when under stress, it flexes to absorb the impact and then afterwards flexes back to its original shape. Another great feature …is its expandability, one of the few hard-sided luggage that can expand for up to 25% more space.”

After reading that and other reviews, I kept the valise and have used it five times.  My conclusion: “Best luggage I’ve ever had, I’m crazy about it.”  The piece rolls easily; even my grandson can slide it sideways.  Max, as I named it, came through baggage claim unharmed and being silver colored, was easy to pick out, compared to those searching through the black suitcases.

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Heys Ultra-Lite Luggage

Target, Costco, JC Penny, E-bags and many other online stores carry the Heys line.  The ultra-lights also come in black, blue and red.

Debi gives her new luggage a max 5-star over-all rating at a mini 3 star price.