Although today seems like a Sunday due to having the day off and the Remembrance Day service I attended it is still Tuesday. The service was lovely and the church so crowded that I sat in the balcony with the Scouts and Beavers. It reminded me of the days when our children attended in their various groups participating or even (gasp) back to when I attended as a Girl Guide in the 60s. Well I sure didn't need the glasses to see the action then though and the veterans were a lot younger and spryer. There's been a large resurgence of interest in Nov 11th, some of it due to the present conflict in Afghanistan.
I had the best of intentions to connect with the travel mate and sort out our photos together but....all the peace and quiet came to an end this afternoon and since it's almost 9 p.m. and I've just sat down, guess it's not going to happen today. First the prodigal son arrived from fishing with several armloads of filthy laundry, took a shower as he smelled worse than the clothes and headed off again after catching me up on the news. I had a elementary school neighbour selling candles and of course how could I refuse with four of our urchins having canvassed the neighbourhood mercilessly in years past? Then the shore captain arrived shedding mud and twigs, again bearing laundry and smelling worse while waiting for supper. So, a loaf of brown bread, large pot of chili and batch of biscuits later, here I am.
Good thing that I packed before the kerfuffle struck and so am ready to head out for a conference in the city. I will stop along the way to pick up the bike I'm buying from a colleague and then head into the city for daughter # 2s. We've planned pizza for supper so that will leave time to scrapbook some cards in the evening. I'll have Thursday morning to run some errands before the conference starts (working on my small pleasures found along the way theory) and am hoping for less congestion than on Saturday. I may get to poke around the scrapbooking or book stores, missed in my rural paradise.
It was as I thought, daughter # 1 says that she can't believe I didn't know about Craftsters and was sure she'd mentioned it to me. This is what happens when you get old and forget things.
To torture myself when I'm heading back to work I sometimes look on the bridge cam of the Sea or Grand Princess to see where they are and just to keep you up to date as armchair travelers the Sea Princess is enroute to Bonaire and the Grand Princess is underway to Piraeus, Greece. Oh to be retired and cruising in the Southern Caribbean or the Mediterreanean.
And now I leave you with a bit of funny but bad female humor that only women appreciate:
Jake was dying.
His wife sat at the bedside.
He looked up and said weakly:
'I have something I must confess.'
'There's no need to, 'his wife replied.
'No,' he insisted, 'I want to die in peace.
I slept with your sister, your best friend,
her best friend, and your mother!'
'I know,' she replied.
'Now just rest and let the poison work.'
Allow me my small pleasures as NO I haven't found a new cleaning lady yet and I'm trying not to think about it as the animal fur tumbleweeds roll across the floor.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Consoling myself
Sigh, if only I had highspeed at home and didn't have to surf these on my work breaks. The first link is for craftster which I'm sure my crafty daughters will read and say "oh Mom, didn't you know about that site?" It's a great website:
And this is how they calculate who's online at any given time - Total Members: 157523 Currently Running With Scissors:795 Guests, 260 Users. Don't you just love the categories? At first glance - some folks have way too much time on their hands and I can't support cutting up books but other than that - lots of ideas. Finally wouldn't my Mom have loved this site - esp. the recycle, reuse section and the reconstructed (she always called them made over)garments! To those with wedding planning in their future there was a great post about temporary tatoos (a heart with bride and grooms name) handed out at the reception with water bottles and paper towels so guests could apply on the spot and document in the photobooth. Sort of biker nuptials if you ask me, not that they did.
Etsy is a companion site to Craftster:
This is for supplies or if you want to buy a handmade article. The Abraham Lincoln earrings in the Geekery section were....unique, but for instance you can still pick up ideas like this floppy disk notepad with 40 pages for $3.95 - mind you shipping is that much again - where did I put those floppy disks eh? This is what all you geeks are getting from me this Christmas. Oh wait, I don't know any geeks or I'd have a lot less technology troubles than I do.
But I digress because I have to explain that the cleaning lady left me a voice mail today saying she wasn't going to be able to continue to clean for me. And no before you get to thinking that I've worn her out, she's just overscheduled. I feel as if I've been abandoned and I will definitely be doing an executive search right promptly. A person could harm themselves doing housework. Why I managed 30 minutes worth tonight and it almost did me in.
I had to spend several hours crafting just to get my nerves settled down. I added some journaling to the family scrapbook about my two uncles who were killed in WWII. I searched the national website today and found some additional information which supplemented what Mom had always told us. I picked up four coasters to insert photos in today and fitted them with elementary school pics of the offspring - cute.
The final solution to pick my spirits up was to bake some brie with brown sugar, honey and chopped pecans on top which I ate with wedges of apple (in a nod to nutrition) Now I feel much better.
For those of you who didn't get a direct invitation to the vacation contest I'm pasting the link here as you really can't have too many chances to win a nice vacation can you?
Must get my carcass off to bed as I'm going to head out to the Remembrance Day service tomorrow a.m. I leave you with a funny which was apt as the great white hunter returns from the woods tomorrow as well and my peace and quiet will vanish being replaced by domestic chores like making meals not brie. Sigh.
Earl and Bubba are quietly sitting in a boat fishing, chewing plug and drinking beer,when suddenly Bubba says, 'I think I'm gonna divorce my wife. She ain't spoke to me in over 2 months.'
Earl spits, then sips his beer and says.... 'Better think it over - women like that are hard to find.'
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Craft planning
The week just gone by was one I could do without remembering but the one coming up already promises to be better as Remembrance Day on Tuesday will be a break and I have an infection control conference on Thursday and Friday in the city. Manageable.
I left work on Friday and made it to Halifax, despite a rotten drive with lots of rain, fog and traffic arriving in time to get ready and head over to Dartmouth for a wine and cheese / air quality education session - now there's a combination for you. Stayed over with daughter # 2 and the grankitty Hank was good company although he is not a big fan of the air mattress. I headed out in the morning to Cora's for breakfast with an OHN colleague. She treated as I was doing the Cruise Speaking 101 session for her. We had a great visit and I think she's seriously considering the gig - she'd do just fine. I headed over to a scrapbooking store which is going out of business so good deals on supplies I NEEDED and then off to Michaels to check out more crafting so have a few things picked up for Christmas. What a busy place the city was on Saturday. Guess folks were in the holiday shopping mode.
I had to head back by mid afternoon as it was my debut for working the local fire department bingo. Hadn't worked the canteen for about 10 years and had never worked the floor. At least it's smoke free now. I managed to be out $4.50 from selling the cards which set me off but my teacher reassured me that another neighbour was out $14 last week and was most upset. I had no clue (as I don't play) how to find out what numbers were marked, how to call the numbers back and settle the payments. And let me tell you, those bingo players are not a forgiving lot! A humbling experience for one who considers herself able to handle most situations. The good news is I only have to subject myself to this experience every seven weeks.
Had a nice chat with daughter # 1 last night and she says she's really enjoying her job at the bank - can't ask for anything more than that. Good to see all the off spring getting themselves sorted out and on their way.
Today I spent my solitude scrapbooking, walking the dog, eating what and when I wanted and generally puttering. Very fulfilling. I had plans to contact my cruise travel partner when I thought she'd be up from working last night but got caught up in a project so didn't follow through on the impulse. I discovered too late as I didn't check my email until 7 pm that there was a writing group meeting tonight which they had forgotten to notify us about. I was slightly peeved as it was only 1/2 hour away instead of over an hour as sometimes and there's nothing else on this weekend and I even have the place to myself. Oh well, I have saved on gas.
Speaking of writing, I've requested The Flying Troutmans from the library, which is Miriam Toews latest book. If you haven't read any of her work you really should as she's excellent. One of those make you laugh out loud types. I have just passed on The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch which again is a must read. It sounds morbid as he's giving his a Carnegie Mellon lecture and is terminal but it's an excellent read and only slightly sad in some places as it has a great message about living not dying. The list of 'must reads' is growing daily. To anyone who thinks they'd be bored being retired I'm mystified as to why.
And speaking of getting older....only Maxine can sum up the situation we're facing.
I left work on Friday and made it to Halifax, despite a rotten drive with lots of rain, fog and traffic arriving in time to get ready and head over to Dartmouth for a wine and cheese / air quality education session - now there's a combination for you. Stayed over with daughter # 2 and the grankitty Hank was good company although he is not a big fan of the air mattress. I headed out in the morning to Cora's for breakfast with an OHN colleague. She treated as I was doing the Cruise Speaking 101 session for her. We had a great visit and I think she's seriously considering the gig - she'd do just fine. I headed over to a scrapbooking store which is going out of business so good deals on supplies I NEEDED and then off to Michaels to check out more crafting so have a few things picked up for Christmas. What a busy place the city was on Saturday. Guess folks were in the holiday shopping mode.
I had to head back by mid afternoon as it was my debut for working the local fire department bingo. Hadn't worked the canteen for about 10 years and had never worked the floor. At least it's smoke free now. I managed to be out $4.50 from selling the cards which set me off but my teacher reassured me that another neighbour was out $14 last week and was most upset. I had no clue (as I don't play) how to find out what numbers were marked, how to call the numbers back and settle the payments. And let me tell you, those bingo players are not a forgiving lot! A humbling experience for one who considers herself able to handle most situations. The good news is I only have to subject myself to this experience every seven weeks.
Had a nice chat with daughter # 1 last night and she says she's really enjoying her job at the bank - can't ask for anything more than that. Good to see all the off spring getting themselves sorted out and on their way.
Today I spent my solitude scrapbooking, walking the dog, eating what and when I wanted and generally puttering. Very fulfilling. I had plans to contact my cruise travel partner when I thought she'd be up from working last night but got caught up in a project so didn't follow through on the impulse. I discovered too late as I didn't check my email until 7 pm that there was a writing group meeting tonight which they had forgotten to notify us about. I was slightly peeved as it was only 1/2 hour away instead of over an hour as sometimes and there's nothing else on this weekend and I even have the place to myself. Oh well, I have saved on gas.
Speaking of writing, I've requested The Flying Troutmans from the library, which is Miriam Toews latest book. If you haven't read any of her work you really should as she's excellent. One of those make you laugh out loud types. I have just passed on The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch which again is a must read. It sounds morbid as he's giving his a Carnegie Mellon lecture and is terminal but it's an excellent read and only slightly sad in some places as it has a great message about living not dying. The list of 'must reads' is growing daily. To anyone who thinks they'd be bored being retired I'm mystified as to why.
And speaking of getting older....only Maxine can sum up the situation we're facing.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Mid week Motivation
Good Morning! Mid week motivation There are all kinds of jobs out there be thankful for the one you have!
Say after me - I WILL NOT complain about my job,EVER AGAIN!!
I needed that pep talk as this week at work has been a REALLY bad one (and that’s considering they’re usually pretty unfun to begin with. Can’t imagine that other options would be that much worse. I saw an ad in the newspaper on the weekend looking for a healthcare educator in Yellowknife offering $42.07 per hr. plus $2500 annual allowance. They were only looking for two years experience and teaching of a few courses, I’m guessing if you came with some experience/education you could leverage a more generous offer. The Team Leader at work today asked if I was union “no” or management “no” and then said, “oh you don’t really have any authority at all do you?” I assured her that was entirely true and likely accounted for a good bit of the job angst I experience on a daily basis.
Had a nice scrapbooking evening last p.m. and got a bit accomplished but mostly got some inspiration for projects. I’m also looking forward to a trip to the city on Friday/Saturday where I’ll stay with daughter # 2, attend a get together for my professional association, and have breakfast with a colleague who’s thinking of the cruise ship presentation circuit. I have to work bingo at the local fire hall on Saturday night so can’t make it a two-day event. Haven’t done the bingo work thing for years, used to do it to get out of the house when the kids were small, then as they grew I sent them down for experience (slave labour they said) and now that they’re not available the Dept. has rattled my chain. At least it’s smoke free now.
I had an‘in-depth’ conversation with the shore captain this evening as he’s been getting a bit carried away with himself of late. I’m sure many can relate to the exchange below:
Me: what will we have for supper?
He: doesn’t matter
Me: oh, I know, I can make shrimp and pasta,I bought shrimp at Sobeys
He: (while picking up the bag) this is farmed shrimp from Thailand, Cambodia, Viet Nam, oh no this is so polluted it’s full of antibiotics
Me: the stuff has been frozen and will be cooked
He: that doesn’t cook the antibiotics
Me: I cannot believe I am having this discussion with a man who does NOT wear safety glasses while grinding metal or fiberglas and DOESN’T believe in washing his hands yet is concerned about shrimp?
There are courses, which would take a semester to complete on the psychology of risk taking, risk perception and just plain delusional thinking (did you know that plastic – as opposed to glass – cups taste funny? this man could be the case study. The fact that he ate two helpings of supper was just the last straw. Good thing he’s heading back to camp from Friday to Tuesday.
The media are reporting lots of celebrating from south of the border and I’m guessing at least one of our summer neighbours is pleased that Obama is their new president. He was the candidate promising to take a look at the blockade to Cuba which has been in place for decades so this may be good for those friends too.
And since a smile never hurts, I’ll leave you with one:
Celibacy can be a choice in life, or a condition imposed bycircumstances.
While attending a Marriage Encounter Weekend, Walter and his wife Ann listened to the instructor declare, It is essential that husbands andwives know the things that are important to each other.
He addressed the men, Can you name and describe your wife's favoriteflower?
Walter leaned over, touched Ann's arm gently and whispered, Robin Hood All-Purpose, isn't it?
And thus began Walter's life of celibacy.
Say after me - I WILL NOT complain about my job,EVER AGAIN!!I needed that pep talk as this week at work has been a REALLY bad one (and that’s considering they’re usually pretty unfun to begin with. Can’t imagine that other options would be that much worse. I saw an ad in the newspaper on the weekend looking for a healthcare educator in Yellowknife offering $42.07 per hr. plus $2500 annual allowance. They were only looking for two years experience and teaching of a few courses, I’m guessing if you came with some experience/education you could leverage a more generous offer. The Team Leader at work today asked if I was union “no” or management “no” and then said, “oh you don’t really have any authority at all do you?” I assured her that was entirely true and likely accounted for a good bit of the job angst I experience on a daily basis.
Had a nice scrapbooking evening last p.m. and got a bit accomplished but mostly got some inspiration for projects. I’m also looking forward to a trip to the city on Friday/Saturday where I’ll stay with daughter # 2, attend a get together for my professional association, and have breakfast with a colleague who’s thinking of the cruise ship presentation circuit. I have to work bingo at the local fire hall on Saturday night so can’t make it a two-day event. Haven’t done the bingo work thing for years, used to do it to get out of the house when the kids were small, then as they grew I sent them down for experience (slave labour they said) and now that they’re not available the Dept. has rattled my chain. At least it’s smoke free now.
I had an‘in-depth’ conversation with the shore captain this evening as he’s been getting a bit carried away with himself of late. I’m sure many can relate to the exchange below:
Me: what will we have for supper?
He: doesn’t matter
Me: oh, I know, I can make shrimp and pasta,I bought shrimp at Sobeys
He: (while picking up the bag) this is farmed shrimp from Thailand, Cambodia, Viet Nam, oh no this is so polluted it’s full of antibiotics
Me: the stuff has been frozen and will be cooked
He: that doesn’t cook the antibiotics
Me: I cannot believe I am having this discussion with a man who does NOT wear safety glasses while grinding metal or fiberglas and DOESN’T believe in washing his hands yet is concerned about shrimp?
There are courses, which would take a semester to complete on the psychology of risk taking, risk perception and just plain delusional thinking (did you know that plastic – as opposed to glass – cups taste funny? this man could be the case study. The fact that he ate two helpings of supper was just the last straw. Good thing he’s heading back to camp from Friday to Tuesday.
The media are reporting lots of celebrating from south of the border and I’m guessing at least one of our summer neighbours is pleased that Obama is their new president. He was the candidate promising to take a look at the blockade to Cuba which has been in place for decades so this may be good for those friends too.
And since a smile never hurts, I’ll leave you with one:
Celibacy can be a choice in life, or a condition imposed bycircumstances.
While attending a Marriage Encounter Weekend, Walter and his wife Ann listened to the instructor declare, It is essential that husbands andwives know the things that are important to each other.
He addressed the men, Can you name and describe your wife's favoriteflower?
Walter leaned over, touched Ann's arm gently and whispered, Robin Hood All-Purpose, isn't it?
And thus began Walter's life of celibacy.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Trip details and more
Well, the weekend has finally arrived and with it a chance to catch my breath. This of course means that I haven’t accomplished much of note but I’ve had a great time (not) doing it.
Friday (Halloween) evening we had about 10 or 12 trick or treaters, which has become our usual number. There were double that when our kids were small. The routine in those days meant the shore captain would ‘come out of the woods’ if he was in at camp and take the kids on their rounds while I stayed home to hand out treats. 9 or 10 p.m. usually brought them home totally exhausted, costumes in disarray, full of sugary treats and cranky. The man would have collected ‘his treats’ while chauffeuring and would have a collection of home made fudge, cookies and other goodies and have stopped for a coffee in one of the more closely populated areas for a visit while the urchins made their rounds there on foot. This year was so sedate that I managed to do some mending, finish up the titles on the desk calendar I made, read the paper and straighten up the house.
I read until 11 p.m. in bed – imagine with the light on and no complaints – as I worked my way through the novel I borrowed for the cruise (but as you know literary pursuits were secondary to others) called The Memory Keepers Daughter and it is a wonderful read. Highly recommended. One of those I’d finish in a few days usually here at home.
Saturday morning I slept in – yes!!! Almost felt like I was retired – that is one thing I plan to do when I’m not full time gainfully employed, keep to my natural biorhythms. I reached out and grabbed my book and continued on for a while until the cats really got insistent for kitty treats. I made a very modest attempt at housework – washed a quilt, as it was a gorgeous warm fall day to hang it out– and then the great white hunter was home saying he’d kept on going after hunting this a.m. as he had gear to work on. I did get some brown bread made today but spent the afternoon in the veranda room reading the newspaper while the bread machine did its work. The lunch plans were postponed for a couple of weekends as Charlotte Lane Café is closed until Tuesday while they’ve been attending a Slow Food Show in Italy this week.
I must get my act together and organize the cruise photos, yes yes I know I promised some for this blog but.... I have the last three vacations to scrap and mementos sitting in stacks. This is what happens when you take three vacations in four months. Have actually been looking at the time over the Christmas holidays and it looks like if I were to take five days vacation I’d have two weeks off. Now this all depends on others covering for me as well so this is a dream at present. Really someone back from a two week vacation should be a bit more self-disciplined wouldn’t you think?
At any rate the cruise was a great time and strongly recommended for anyone wanting to see the Northeastern US and Maritimes in a different way. When you come into cities from the cruise pier side you see a completely different side of the port. Although I’d traveled by land to Quebec City, Charlottetown, Sydney, etc. there was a different perspective on arriving by ship. So sit back in your armchair and we’ll travel the route:
Quebec City is of course very historic (romantic except we weren’t a couple) and expensive. Even a bottle of pop was almost double what it cost in Nova Scotia. For the most part the clerks and locals were friendly although I had an encounter with a very rude antique shopkeeper who actually left me speechless (as difficult as this is to believe) when I asked about a price of a medicine bottle in the window. I bought it in spite (and because I really wanted it) and we looked at everything in his shop just to make him nervous. The Entertainment Director said that six of the officers had spent $1000 for supper the night before departure. We got great photos, enjoyed a pleasant fall day and made like the tourists we were ending up with shin splints from all the hills.
The St. Lawrence River was picturesque but we had drizzly sea day, which was filled with my two presentations so not really memorable. We did manage to see a whale late in the afternoon as we met the Bay of St. Lawrence though. Very sheltered so no fear of a rough crossing.
Charlottetown is of course a nice little city. We spent an enjoyable day poking around. Found a great independent bookstore in the Confederation Mall and picked up a reference book on Sea Birds – always planning for that next cruise talk – as well as some t-shirts for the kids. Got some nice tourist photos being Anne with an E with the red braids and straw hat and enjoyed the free internet at the visitors center. Nice not to have a major travel agenda but just hang out.
Sydney was fun as we spent the day hanging out with a former colleague from my safety officer days who’d taken the day off to visit with us. She was at first (needlessly) concerned since there’d been a cruise ship in the day before that perhaps I’d mixed the days up – especially as I didn’t get my act together to call her or turn the cell on until 10 a.m. She was down shortly to pick us up and we headed off to see St. George’s church which was built for the military originally, then to a craft fair where I picked up a beautiful sweater for myself, a nice placemat for the kitty boys which is shaped like a fish and says ‘I love cats’ in the print, a carved stone which says HOPE (where I had a nice chat with the craftsman who is being recruited by the cruise companies to teach craft classes and sell his stained glass and etchings) and we bought some great homemade chocolate. The craftspeople in CB were some of the best on the entire cruise – no surprise to us but our fellow passengers were very impressed – and the prices were sure great. We made it to the library in time to take in the Cuban bagpipers which I mentioned in the interim posting – the Galician bagpipes were a big hit with the Celtic Colors audience and as a bonus we got internet access. My friend fed us (as if we were in need of sustenance – a good fast should’ve been in order) but who could refuse her CB hospitality in the form of homemade soup, tea biscuits and chocolate cake? The shore captain always says he’d be 300 lbs if she were feeding him as she’s such a good cook and you know occasionally he’s right – this is one of those times. We had a nice slide show of her sons wedding photos – beautiful bride and groom and very together mother of the groom was our assessment. This was a good preview for my travel partner who will be filling that role next September herself. All too soon it was time to head back to the ship for the sail away while we listened to the Sydney Mines Legion Band.
Halifax was pretty exciting as we got to visit with daughter # 2 and my travel partner’s son and his fiancée. I was also pumped to get my glasses, as since I hadn’t seen Newport or New York I sure wanted to be able to really see the sights. We took a spin down to historic properties just to say we were off the ship and my travel mate did her ‘buy the postcard, write an Uncle Traveling Max message, and mail it home’ for the scrapbook routine. We hustled on board and got into the hot tub to watch Halifax harbour disappearing while we sipped the drink of the day and reviewed the day with our fellow passengers. It was very odd to head down the coast and look out at midnight to see the Cape Sable lighthouse knowing that we’d just passed our home. Made it sort of like two cruises, the before and after SW Nova sections.
It was noon before we reached Saint John, NB so I did a talk in the morning but I sent my travel partner off to watch the culinary display and galley tour as I did that last time and it’s really fun. Although it was Sunday and quiet in Saint John we visited the market and shopped in the outlets which had opened for us. Nice photo ops in the old port city, which I hadn’t seen for a while and a late, sail away.
We spent a fun day in Portland although somehow in my hilarity I managed to lose a bag of my shopping which consisted of a t-shirt which said ‘Crustacean Nation’ for the prodigal son and a flying monkey which he could’ve entertained the cats with - it was a monkey with elastic loops on its paws and you flung it like a slingshot making it emit a high pitched eeeeyyyyyiiiiiii – a must have. Unfortunately we visited a joke shop where we laughed until we were weak and I must’ve set the bag down somewhere. I’m sorry I lost the bag but I have to say the endorphins released likely made up for it. I picked up a great night-light shaped like a whelk shell in the shade of my bathroom at a lovely home shop, which of course got smashed on the trip home and a top for my oil dispenser, which doesn’t fit. So Portland wasn’t a success for my shopping it seems. It is a very pretty old city, which I’ve visited a few times so it was a nice return trip.
Boston was a good day as we visited along the Freedom Trail seeing the Boston Common and various other sites. My travel mate got some holders for the US quarters she’s begun to collect, I got a good deal on some Mary Jane crocs for next season and we had fun shopping in the markets. We met my cousin for lunch at Durgin Park and the food is good and the waitresses are sassy (as their slogan reads) because I was told “more chew and less chat, that’s getting cold” by our server as I caught up with my cousin. I could just hear my favorite aunt telling someone that during the years she waitressed there. We caught the last shuttle back to the ship and shared the ride with Caribbean Princess passengers who told us there was no lecturer on their ship (which had been my second choice) Nice sail away through all the Boston Harbor islands.
We had a bit of rough weather in Newport, which was a shame as this was the new to us, port of call but we just modified our plans. Instead of a Cliff Walk we hopped on the city bus and for $1.75 we had a city tour of the Gilded Age Mansions. The tender ride in and out was a bit wild but nothing like fall lobstering and we were dressed for it. It was windy, cool and drizzly, reminding us of home. Glad for the afternoon tea following that. Not every day you get a man in white gloves serving your tea from a silver pot, lucky to have one with clean hands put the kettle on in this house. We spent the final ship night enjoying the champagne fountain and the company of some newfound British friends until 2 a.m. (which at 6 a.m. the next day felt like a mistake) as they were staying on for another nine days ending up in Barbados. Now THAT would’ve been nice too.
An early arrival in New York City with the Statue of Liberty all lit up as well as the skyline was quite a sight and apparently it is the city that never sleeps because at 6 am the traffic was very busy. We did an express walk off to get an early start and made like pack mules through the pier, customs and to a cab. Had a narrated tour from Brooklyn to Manhattan and got sorted out at the hotel by 9 a.m. The day in New York was glorious weather and we enjoyed all the carts and stalls as we walked from Broadway to Times Square – the books, clothes, bags, food for sale it was all fantastic. Afterwards we picked up our discount tickets to Phantom of the Opera and headed back for a bicycle cart tour of Central Park. It was amazingly clean, safe and beautiful, not at all what you imagine. We had a wonderful afternoon and were delivered to the door of the hotel to get ready for our night on the town. We hoofed it down to the Russian Tea Room where the doorman let us in and the fantasy began. Leather benches, lots of red and gold, and amazing food – what a place, we even got a tour of the upstairs with a crystal dancing bear filled with goldfish and a tree full of Faberge eggs. The bathroom taps were even gold! We made it to the Majestic Theatre just before show time and the venue itself was something else with lots of ornate décor. The play was beyond description – no surprise it’s run for 18 years – the sets, costumes, makeup, orchestra, singing and acting were unbelievable. Hailing a cab was a life threatening experience but we did manage to throw ourselves in the back of one and be deposited at the hotel door. When we caught our ride to JFK airport in the morning there wasn’t much energy left in reserve for those two traveling gals let me tell you.
Now the temptations keep rolling in as I’m going to paste the three emails I was sent this week from ‘my agent’ and they make you wonder how you could resist:
FREE CRUISE
14 Night South America & Panama Canal
Radiance of the Seas November 9 - 23, 2008
Greetings from Sixth Star!
Sixth Star Entertainment and Marketing is looking for a Special Interest Lecturer in one of the following topics: Forensics, Pets, Maritime, Astronomy, Geneology, Celebrities, Caricaturist, Gardening, Hand Writing Analysis, Nature/wildlife, Science, Silhouette Artist to provide an "edu-taining" program onboard the Radiance of the Seas November 9 - 23, 2008. It is a South America & Panama Canal cruise that sails Ft. Lauderdale, FL to Valparaiso, Chile.
Itinerary
09-Nov Fort Lauderdale, Florida 5:00 PM
10-Nov Cruising
11-Nov Cruising
12-Nov Cartagena, Colombia 7:00 AM 8:00 PM Docked
13-Nov Cruising
14-Nov Panama Canal (Cruising Canal) 6:00 AM 6:00 PM Cruising
15-Nov Cruising
16-Nov Manta, Ecuador 7:00 AM 6:00 PM Docked
17-Nov Cruising
18-Nov Lima, (Callao) Peru 7:00 AM 6:00 PM Docked
19-Nov Cruising
20-Nov Arica, Chile 7:00 AM 7:00 PM Docked
21-Nov Cruising
22-Nov La Serena (Coquimbo), Chile 8:00 AM 4:00 PM Docked
23-Nov Valparaiso, Chile 4:00 AM
We are looking for a Special Interest Lecturer to sail on the Sea Princess through the Caribbean Novmeber 29 - December 13, 2008. Sailing roundtrip Barbados. Take a look at the exciting ports listed below.
I T I N E R A R Y
Barbados
St. Lucia
Antigua, Antigua
St. Kitts, St. Kitts
Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Samana, Dominican Republic
At Sea
Montego Bay, Jamaica
Grand Cayman Islands
At Sea
Aruba
Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles
Caracas (La Guaira), Venezuela
Grenada
Barbados
We are currently looking for a Lecturer to provide an "Edu-taining" lecture. To sail on the Emerald Princess through the Caribbean. The cruise dates and intineraries are listed below.
EMERALD PRINCESS NOVEMBER 20, 2008 thru NOVEMBER 30, 2008
Ft. Lauderdale
Princess Cays, Bahamas
At Sea
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
St. Kitts, St. Kitts & Nevis
Barbados
Dominica
Antigua, Antingua and Barbuda
At Sea
At Sea
Ft. Lauderdale
EMERALD PRINCESS NOVEMBER 30, 2008 thru DECEMBER 10, 2008
Ft. Lauderdale
At Sea
At Sea
Aruba
Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles Grenada
Dominica
St. Thomas, U.S Virgin Islands
At Sea
Princess Cays, Bahamas
Ft. Lauderdale
Today there was a birthday party for a former co-worker and the daughter-in-law arranged it with wine and all of us dressed in rhinestones, boas and sparkly stuff – sounds like fun alreadydoesn't it? At least four of us from work (still hanging in there) attended plus quite a few of the neighbours and other friends so it was a good time.
Back to the salt mines in the a.m. but at least the time change over the weekend is more in sync with my sleep cycles. Doesn't make me want to go to work but at least I won't mind the actual getting up as much.
Friday (Halloween) evening we had about 10 or 12 trick or treaters, which has become our usual number. There were double that when our kids were small. The routine in those days meant the shore captain would ‘come out of the woods’ if he was in at camp and take the kids on their rounds while I stayed home to hand out treats. 9 or 10 p.m. usually brought them home totally exhausted, costumes in disarray, full of sugary treats and cranky. The man would have collected ‘his treats’ while chauffeuring and would have a collection of home made fudge, cookies and other goodies and have stopped for a coffee in one of the more closely populated areas for a visit while the urchins made their rounds there on foot. This year was so sedate that I managed to do some mending, finish up the titles on the desk calendar I made, read the paper and straighten up the house.
I read until 11 p.m. in bed – imagine with the light on and no complaints – as I worked my way through the novel I borrowed for the cruise (but as you know literary pursuits were secondary to others) called The Memory Keepers Daughter and it is a wonderful read. Highly recommended. One of those I’d finish in a few days usually here at home.
Saturday morning I slept in – yes!!! Almost felt like I was retired – that is one thing I plan to do when I’m not full time gainfully employed, keep to my natural biorhythms. I reached out and grabbed my book and continued on for a while until the cats really got insistent for kitty treats. I made a very modest attempt at housework – washed a quilt, as it was a gorgeous warm fall day to hang it out– and then the great white hunter was home saying he’d kept on going after hunting this a.m. as he had gear to work on. I did get some brown bread made today but spent the afternoon in the veranda room reading the newspaper while the bread machine did its work. The lunch plans were postponed for a couple of weekends as Charlotte Lane Café is closed until Tuesday while they’ve been attending a Slow Food Show in Italy this week.
I must get my act together and organize the cruise photos, yes yes I know I promised some for this blog but.... I have the last three vacations to scrap and mementos sitting in stacks. This is what happens when you take three vacations in four months. Have actually been looking at the time over the Christmas holidays and it looks like if I were to take five days vacation I’d have two weeks off. Now this all depends on others covering for me as well so this is a dream at present. Really someone back from a two week vacation should be a bit more self-disciplined wouldn’t you think?
At any rate the cruise was a great time and strongly recommended for anyone wanting to see the Northeastern US and Maritimes in a different way. When you come into cities from the cruise pier side you see a completely different side of the port. Although I’d traveled by land to Quebec City, Charlottetown, Sydney, etc. there was a different perspective on arriving by ship. So sit back in your armchair and we’ll travel the route:
Quebec City is of course very historic (romantic except we weren’t a couple) and expensive. Even a bottle of pop was almost double what it cost in Nova Scotia. For the most part the clerks and locals were friendly although I had an encounter with a very rude antique shopkeeper who actually left me speechless (as difficult as this is to believe) when I asked about a price of a medicine bottle in the window. I bought it in spite (and because I really wanted it) and we looked at everything in his shop just to make him nervous. The Entertainment Director said that six of the officers had spent $1000 for supper the night before departure. We got great photos, enjoyed a pleasant fall day and made like the tourists we were ending up with shin splints from all the hills.
The St. Lawrence River was picturesque but we had drizzly sea day, which was filled with my two presentations so not really memorable. We did manage to see a whale late in the afternoon as we met the Bay of St. Lawrence though. Very sheltered so no fear of a rough crossing.
Charlottetown is of course a nice little city. We spent an enjoyable day poking around. Found a great independent bookstore in the Confederation Mall and picked up a reference book on Sea Birds – always planning for that next cruise talk – as well as some t-shirts for the kids. Got some nice tourist photos being Anne with an E with the red braids and straw hat and enjoyed the free internet at the visitors center. Nice not to have a major travel agenda but just hang out.
Sydney was fun as we spent the day hanging out with a former colleague from my safety officer days who’d taken the day off to visit with us. She was at first (needlessly) concerned since there’d been a cruise ship in the day before that perhaps I’d mixed the days up – especially as I didn’t get my act together to call her or turn the cell on until 10 a.m. She was down shortly to pick us up and we headed off to see St. George’s church which was built for the military originally, then to a craft fair where I picked up a beautiful sweater for myself, a nice placemat for the kitty boys which is shaped like a fish and says ‘I love cats’ in the print, a carved stone which says HOPE (where I had a nice chat with the craftsman who is being recruited by the cruise companies to teach craft classes and sell his stained glass and etchings) and we bought some great homemade chocolate. The craftspeople in CB were some of the best on the entire cruise – no surprise to us but our fellow passengers were very impressed – and the prices were sure great. We made it to the library in time to take in the Cuban bagpipers which I mentioned in the interim posting – the Galician bagpipes were a big hit with the Celtic Colors audience and as a bonus we got internet access. My friend fed us (as if we were in need of sustenance – a good fast should’ve been in order) but who could refuse her CB hospitality in the form of homemade soup, tea biscuits and chocolate cake? The shore captain always says he’d be 300 lbs if she were feeding him as she’s such a good cook and you know occasionally he’s right – this is one of those times. We had a nice slide show of her sons wedding photos – beautiful bride and groom and very together mother of the groom was our assessment. This was a good preview for my travel partner who will be filling that role next September herself. All too soon it was time to head back to the ship for the sail away while we listened to the Sydney Mines Legion Band.
Halifax was pretty exciting as we got to visit with daughter # 2 and my travel partner’s son and his fiancée. I was also pumped to get my glasses, as since I hadn’t seen Newport or New York I sure wanted to be able to really see the sights. We took a spin down to historic properties just to say we were off the ship and my travel mate did her ‘buy the postcard, write an Uncle Traveling Max message, and mail it home’ for the scrapbook routine. We hustled on board and got into the hot tub to watch Halifax harbour disappearing while we sipped the drink of the day and reviewed the day with our fellow passengers. It was very odd to head down the coast and look out at midnight to see the Cape Sable lighthouse knowing that we’d just passed our home. Made it sort of like two cruises, the before and after SW Nova sections.
It was noon before we reached Saint John, NB so I did a talk in the morning but I sent my travel partner off to watch the culinary display and galley tour as I did that last time and it’s really fun. Although it was Sunday and quiet in Saint John we visited the market and shopped in the outlets which had opened for us. Nice photo ops in the old port city, which I hadn’t seen for a while and a late, sail away.
We spent a fun day in Portland although somehow in my hilarity I managed to lose a bag of my shopping which consisted of a t-shirt which said ‘Crustacean Nation’ for the prodigal son and a flying monkey which he could’ve entertained the cats with - it was a monkey with elastic loops on its paws and you flung it like a slingshot making it emit a high pitched eeeeyyyyyiiiiiii – a must have. Unfortunately we visited a joke shop where we laughed until we were weak and I must’ve set the bag down somewhere. I’m sorry I lost the bag but I have to say the endorphins released likely made up for it. I picked up a great night-light shaped like a whelk shell in the shade of my bathroom at a lovely home shop, which of course got smashed on the trip home and a top for my oil dispenser, which doesn’t fit. So Portland wasn’t a success for my shopping it seems. It is a very pretty old city, which I’ve visited a few times so it was a nice return trip.
Boston was a good day as we visited along the Freedom Trail seeing the Boston Common and various other sites. My travel mate got some holders for the US quarters she’s begun to collect, I got a good deal on some Mary Jane crocs for next season and we had fun shopping in the markets. We met my cousin for lunch at Durgin Park and the food is good and the waitresses are sassy (as their slogan reads) because I was told “more chew and less chat, that’s getting cold” by our server as I caught up with my cousin. I could just hear my favorite aunt telling someone that during the years she waitressed there. We caught the last shuttle back to the ship and shared the ride with Caribbean Princess passengers who told us there was no lecturer on their ship (which had been my second choice) Nice sail away through all the Boston Harbor islands.
We had a bit of rough weather in Newport, which was a shame as this was the new to us, port of call but we just modified our plans. Instead of a Cliff Walk we hopped on the city bus and for $1.75 we had a city tour of the Gilded Age Mansions. The tender ride in and out was a bit wild but nothing like fall lobstering and we were dressed for it. It was windy, cool and drizzly, reminding us of home. Glad for the afternoon tea following that. Not every day you get a man in white gloves serving your tea from a silver pot, lucky to have one with clean hands put the kettle on in this house. We spent the final ship night enjoying the champagne fountain and the company of some newfound British friends until 2 a.m. (which at 6 a.m. the next day felt like a mistake) as they were staying on for another nine days ending up in Barbados. Now THAT would’ve been nice too.
An early arrival in New York City with the Statue of Liberty all lit up as well as the skyline was quite a sight and apparently it is the city that never sleeps because at 6 am the traffic was very busy. We did an express walk off to get an early start and made like pack mules through the pier, customs and to a cab. Had a narrated tour from Brooklyn to Manhattan and got sorted out at the hotel by 9 a.m. The day in New York was glorious weather and we enjoyed all the carts and stalls as we walked from Broadway to Times Square – the books, clothes, bags, food for sale it was all fantastic. Afterwards we picked up our discount tickets to Phantom of the Opera and headed back for a bicycle cart tour of Central Park. It was amazingly clean, safe and beautiful, not at all what you imagine. We had a wonderful afternoon and were delivered to the door of the hotel to get ready for our night on the town. We hoofed it down to the Russian Tea Room where the doorman let us in and the fantasy began. Leather benches, lots of red and gold, and amazing food – what a place, we even got a tour of the upstairs with a crystal dancing bear filled with goldfish and a tree full of Faberge eggs. The bathroom taps were even gold! We made it to the Majestic Theatre just before show time and the venue itself was something else with lots of ornate décor. The play was beyond description – no surprise it’s run for 18 years – the sets, costumes, makeup, orchestra, singing and acting were unbelievable. Hailing a cab was a life threatening experience but we did manage to throw ourselves in the back of one and be deposited at the hotel door. When we caught our ride to JFK airport in the morning there wasn’t much energy left in reserve for those two traveling gals let me tell you.
Now the temptations keep rolling in as I’m going to paste the three emails I was sent this week from ‘my agent’ and they make you wonder how you could resist:
FREE CRUISE
14 Night South America & Panama Canal
Radiance of the Seas November 9 - 23, 2008
Greetings from Sixth Star!
Sixth Star Entertainment and Marketing is looking for a Special Interest Lecturer in one of the following topics: Forensics, Pets, Maritime, Astronomy, Geneology, Celebrities, Caricaturist, Gardening, Hand Writing Analysis, Nature/wildlife, Science, Silhouette Artist to provide an "edu-taining" program onboard the Radiance of the Seas November 9 - 23, 2008. It is a South America & Panama Canal cruise that sails Ft. Lauderdale, FL to Valparaiso, Chile.
Itinerary
09-Nov Fort Lauderdale, Florida 5:00 PM
10-Nov Cruising
11-Nov Cruising
12-Nov Cartagena, Colombia 7:00 AM 8:00 PM Docked
13-Nov Cruising
14-Nov Panama Canal (Cruising Canal) 6:00 AM 6:00 PM Cruising
15-Nov Cruising
16-Nov Manta, Ecuador 7:00 AM 6:00 PM Docked
17-Nov Cruising
18-Nov Lima, (Callao) Peru 7:00 AM 6:00 PM Docked
19-Nov Cruising
20-Nov Arica, Chile 7:00 AM 7:00 PM Docked
21-Nov Cruising
22-Nov La Serena (Coquimbo), Chile 8:00 AM 4:00 PM Docked
23-Nov Valparaiso, Chile 4:00 AM
We are looking for a Special Interest Lecturer to sail on the Sea Princess through the Caribbean Novmeber 29 - December 13, 2008. Sailing roundtrip Barbados. Take a look at the exciting ports listed below.
I T I N E R A R Y
Barbados
St. Lucia
Antigua, Antigua
St. Kitts, St. Kitts
Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Samana, Dominican Republic
At Sea
Montego Bay, Jamaica
Grand Cayman Islands
At Sea
Aruba
Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles
Caracas (La Guaira), Venezuela
Grenada
Barbados
We are currently looking for a Lecturer to provide an "Edu-taining" lecture. To sail on the Emerald Princess through the Caribbean. The cruise dates and intineraries are listed below.
EMERALD PRINCESS NOVEMBER 20, 2008 thru NOVEMBER 30, 2008
Ft. Lauderdale
Princess Cays, Bahamas
At Sea
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
St. Kitts, St. Kitts & Nevis
Barbados
Dominica
Antigua, Antingua and Barbuda
At Sea
At Sea
Ft. Lauderdale
EMERALD PRINCESS NOVEMBER 30, 2008 thru DECEMBER 10, 2008
Ft. Lauderdale
At Sea
At Sea
Aruba
Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles Grenada
Dominica
St. Thomas, U.S Virgin Islands
At Sea
Princess Cays, Bahamas
Ft. Lauderdale
Today there was a birthday party for a former co-worker and the daughter-in-law arranged it with wine and all of us dressed in rhinestones, boas and sparkly stuff – sounds like fun alreadydoesn't it? At least four of us from work (still hanging in there) attended plus quite a few of the neighbours and other friends so it was a good time.
Back to the salt mines in the a.m. but at least the time change over the weekend is more in sync with my sleep cycles. Doesn't make me want to go to work but at least I won't mind the actual getting up as much.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Back in body
Just getting back into the blogging update as I’ve finally got the suitcases emptied, laundry done and newspapers read over the weekend. We arrived home about 8:30 p.m. on Friday in a satisfied but exhausted state.
Needless to say we had a wonderful time on the cruise – did you expect otherwise? The Sea Princess is a smaller ship than the Grand Princess although it still carries almost 2000 passengers and was sailing full. The service was very personal and friendly; the food was even better than the Grand (hard to believe that’s possible) and the entertainment management were wonderful, very laid back and accommodating. I agreed to do three presentations so had to do two the only sea day and one on the morning before a port call. Pretty good deal for the cruise for the two of us. The talks went very well and were excellent for my ego J well attended and no technical glitches. Managed to lose my glasses though as they fell under the footlights stage left when the tech packed up my laptop, notes and glasses and they went skittering away when I picked up the computer to put it in the bag. Thankfully daughter # 2 supplied the extra pair I’d left in the car when we got to Halifax so at least I could see the sights.
When I get the camera program figured out I promise to post some photos here. Suffice to say we had a great time with my travel mate reading all of 12 or 13 pages in her novel (she is an avid reader) and me gaining 4 lbs. Now this is considering that we just about walked our legs off on some days – good thing I guess or I’d have to add a zero to the right of that 4. We had a great visit in Sydney with a friend, entertained the kids in Halifax and had lunch with my cousin in Boston as well as just generally being tourists in all the other ports. We enjoyed afternoon tea with white gloved waiters, silver tea service, warm scones with jam and cream and little cakes – oh I’m making myself hungry – sat in the hot tub during sail away, checked out all the places to eat / drink on the ship, laughed till we lost our breath, took many photos and met lots of great people. Surprising about 2/3 of the passengers were from the UK, only 190 Canadians and the remainder Americans.
We had a wonderful ‘extra’ day in New York City with beautiful weather and walked down Broadway to Times Square, got discount tickets to The Phantom of the Opera (amazing is the only way to describe it – no wonder it’s been running for 18 yrs) Enjoyed a NY bagel with cream cheese and steamed almond milk (heavenly) Had a bicycle cart tour of Central Park so saw where Tom Cruise and Robert DeNiro live while we munched on a warm pretzel. Yum. We had a pre-theatre supper at The Russian Tea Room and I really will have to try to post a photo of that as there’s no way to describe it. The meal was amazing as well. By the time we flagged a cab down after the theatre (taking our lives in our hands) and got settled it was midnight and we were up early to catch our flight. Had an uneventful trip home, which was good as we were out of steam by then.
I took the liberty of heading out for a scrapbooking day on Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed the Croptoberfest. Since I left in such a tailspin forgetting the project I was planning to take (Norway cruise album) on the counter I did make a good recovery and accomplish something – a nice 2009/2010-desk calendar so am quite proud of myself after all. And I’m happy to announce that I won the door prize which was a nice Creative Memories album cover – much nicer than I’d buy for myself – so a good day all around.
Today I had to head back to work at the district facility so that was not much fun but what can you do? Tomorrow will likely be less fun as I’ll be attempting to catch up a bit and start the flu shots. Off to the district facility on Wednesday again so this week is already a write off it seems. This is the way it is when you’re not retired like all those cruise passengers?
The shore captain is planning to head to the woods on Thursday so I’ll be on my own schedule for a couple of days (hopefully) and am planning lunch with a friend on Saturday among other pleasures. Sad to be looking forward to the weekend on a Monday eh? Since today is the only son’s 21st birthday I’m reminded of how frantic my life was a couple of decades ago so it’s all relative. However when the life partner balked at putting the dog out for the night saying to her “we had better rules than this didn’t we?” I asked for clarification and was told that he ‘put her out when he felt like it’ so I told him if I only did things around the house when I felt like it he’d be a lot smaller than he is – there was no reply.
Needless to say we had a wonderful time on the cruise – did you expect otherwise? The Sea Princess is a smaller ship than the Grand Princess although it still carries almost 2000 passengers and was sailing full. The service was very personal and friendly; the food was even better than the Grand (hard to believe that’s possible) and the entertainment management were wonderful, very laid back and accommodating. I agreed to do three presentations so had to do two the only sea day and one on the morning before a port call. Pretty good deal for the cruise for the two of us. The talks went very well and were excellent for my ego J well attended and no technical glitches. Managed to lose my glasses though as they fell under the footlights stage left when the tech packed up my laptop, notes and glasses and they went skittering away when I picked up the computer to put it in the bag. Thankfully daughter # 2 supplied the extra pair I’d left in the car when we got to Halifax so at least I could see the sights.
When I get the camera program figured out I promise to post some photos here. Suffice to say we had a great time with my travel mate reading all of 12 or 13 pages in her novel (she is an avid reader) and me gaining 4 lbs. Now this is considering that we just about walked our legs off on some days – good thing I guess or I’d have to add a zero to the right of that 4. We had a great visit in Sydney with a friend, entertained the kids in Halifax and had lunch with my cousin in Boston as well as just generally being tourists in all the other ports. We enjoyed afternoon tea with white gloved waiters, silver tea service, warm scones with jam and cream and little cakes – oh I’m making myself hungry – sat in the hot tub during sail away, checked out all the places to eat / drink on the ship, laughed till we lost our breath, took many photos and met lots of great people. Surprising about 2/3 of the passengers were from the UK, only 190 Canadians and the remainder Americans.
We had a wonderful ‘extra’ day in New York City with beautiful weather and walked down Broadway to Times Square, got discount tickets to The Phantom of the Opera (amazing is the only way to describe it – no wonder it’s been running for 18 yrs) Enjoyed a NY bagel with cream cheese and steamed almond milk (heavenly) Had a bicycle cart tour of Central Park so saw where Tom Cruise and Robert DeNiro live while we munched on a warm pretzel. Yum. We had a pre-theatre supper at The Russian Tea Room and I really will have to try to post a photo of that as there’s no way to describe it. The meal was amazing as well. By the time we flagged a cab down after the theatre (taking our lives in our hands) and got settled it was midnight and we were up early to catch our flight. Had an uneventful trip home, which was good as we were out of steam by then.
I took the liberty of heading out for a scrapbooking day on Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed the Croptoberfest. Since I left in such a tailspin forgetting the project I was planning to take (Norway cruise album) on the counter I did make a good recovery and accomplish something – a nice 2009/2010-desk calendar so am quite proud of myself after all. And I’m happy to announce that I won the door prize which was a nice Creative Memories album cover – much nicer than I’d buy for myself – so a good day all around.
Today I had to head back to work at the district facility so that was not much fun but what can you do? Tomorrow will likely be less fun as I’ll be attempting to catch up a bit and start the flu shots. Off to the district facility on Wednesday again so this week is already a write off it seems. This is the way it is when you’re not retired like all those cruise passengers?
The shore captain is planning to head to the woods on Thursday so I’ll be on my own schedule for a couple of days (hopefully) and am planning lunch with a friend on Saturday among other pleasures. Sad to be looking forward to the weekend on a Monday eh? Since today is the only son’s 21st birthday I’m reminded of how frantic my life was a couple of decades ago so it’s all relative. However when the life partner balked at putting the dog out for the night saying to her “we had better rules than this didn’t we?” I asked for clarification and was told that he ‘put her out when he felt like it’ so I told him if I only did things around the house when I felt like it he’d be a lot smaller than he is – there was no reply.
Friday, October 17, 2008
An enroute post
Well hello from the Sea Princess - well sort of as we're on land in Cape Breton briefly visiting a Cape Breton friend and listening to a Celtic Colors presentation at the library and enjoying the internet services. We are hearing a Cuban band playing Galician bagpipes if you can believe it and they are great! Off to do more tourist things, just wanted you all to know we're having a fantastic time on the ship, the talks are going really well and a good time is had by all!! A post later if we can or if not an update after return home
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