Life is short...smile while you still have teeth

Almost three weeks since an update here but still not my personal best for bloggers block. And it's certainly not because there's been so little to report on. Lots of activity so here's the synopsis:

Having a set of four shifts off resulted in 13 days off. Whee! This enabled me to get ourselves, the pets and the house ready for our absence as the shore captain was working until he stepped out the door with the luggage. It's always a bit more complicated to visit Cuba as we pack gifts and donated supplies in addition to a few changes of clothes. We elected to head down to overnight with the daughter and son-in-law who conveniently reside about 20 minutes from the airport. Our flights were uneventful (thankfully) as we connected through Toronto and arrived in Varadero by mid afternoon to our very excited friends.

Rooms of priceless pharmacy artifacts

Bellemare Caves

How old is he? Me or the bull?

Cuban tourists

Early morning view

 The predicted weather was WET   which was for the most part accurate  but we certainly enjoyed our visit. As  the travel partner said "it was like  taking four kids to Disney World" to  see our friends experience a 'once in a lifetime event'. We did excursions to Havana (not to be missed) and Matanzas (excellent) and a great time was had by all. In Havana on the bus we traveled through a tunnel under the harbour and what a look on our friends faces! The caves we visited were amazing and a wonderful chance to visit them up close. We had a delicious Cuban lunch at a ranch and there was an elderly man holding the bull for the tourists to ride. Our friend Javier asked him in Spanish "how old is he?" and the old guy replied "do you mean me or the bull?" which was a belly laugh every time our friend thought of it for days. In case you're wondering the bull was 18 and I'm sure the farmer with one tooth was 81! The Pharmacy Museum in Matanzas which was used from the 1860s to 1962 and is a priceless collection - made this nurse who loves to collect old time medical equipment on eBay just drool! Needless to say the resort was fun enough and our friends chose not to miss one single moment, such as paddle boat trips, water slide, night show, basketball and the pool until they were wrinkly. We sometimes enjoyed life in the slow lane with an early morning stroll and there were lots of other resorts to check out and people watching for sure. Had to do something to keep ahead of the buffet and mojitos. It was unfortunately a losing battle - although not as bad as a cruise in that aspect. It was tough to climb on the shuttle bus back to the airport and leave our friends to make their way home on a 20 hr. bus ride.

While we were away the boy wonder apparently left the door wide open while he got in the shower one evening and exited the bathroom to cool air and no felines. After an extensive search and tempting with treats Gary returned, when it started to rain Klyde gave it up and came in but poor Stanley panicked. So...he left the veranda door open and went to bed, only to be awoken by yowling at 3 a.m. when Stanley plucked up enough courage to enter the veranda and yell for entry to the house.No wonder he was so skittish when we arrived home.

It was nice to have a couple of days to get the laundry under control and reaccustomed to having to make meals again before heading in to work. There has been more than the usual angst and change at work the past few months and the four shifts I did were no exception. The second day shift resulted in my coming homeand having a large glass of Cuban pineapple liquer with mineral water (only mixer in house) which made things look much better.

This past week saw the boy have a 24th birthday and the birthday card I gave him with his cake as I left for a night shift was the best pack rat score of two decades. It must've been a card which I had for this 4th birthday which said "Happy 4th Birthday Cowboy" so I altered it to 24th with a red marker and put it in the envelope. I'm sure that life was so frantic 20 years ago that his card was overlooked!

Lots of social life the past few days with a union meeting - Black Forest cake from Lothars for the refreshment - yum! Oktoberfest at the same establishment with another couple - beer glazed pork ribs - the next night. And tonight only five little trick or treaters. Boxes of chips left now which is what I feared! A much quieter holiday than those of the past with the last minute frantic costumes, shore captain chauffeuring the kids around to the neighbours and collecting his own goodies (fudge at one, cookies at another) and my job of giving out treats to the groups of neighbour urchins.

Although I haven't been particularly diligent - and will be squealing at some point in the not too distant future - about studying.... the quote of the day is....Life is short, smile while you still have teeth

Feline basketball

Another one of those quick updates before it's time to start the work postings. Now that I've decided I'm going to live from the rotten cold bug I had the beginning of the week. Had way too much to do to be sick of course and that's how those things usually go. I even ended up missing my second night shift and that is certainly unusual that I call in sick for work, but I needed to get rested up for my busy week.

I had an Emergency Department education day to attend on Wednesday so was up early and in to attend only to find that the presenters coming from our regional center were late and then had depended on accessing the network to present the information instead of copying it to a USB drive for example. Lunch was spent arranging to have my car repaired and although it wasn't done when I finished the session, a short stop at Frenchy's while I waited and it was ready to go. Off to the city for two more days, the third week in a row for that schedule.

Although the ACLS courses are now very informal and relaxed (in keeping with adult education principals) this one was pretty intense. The group I found myself in had a drill sargent instructor which made me realize that I've now been to boot camp. I gave serious thought to simply driving home on the second morning instead of even going to the class. The participants were from the critical care and emergency nursing programs and we breathed a collective sigh of relief when we were released. Although most were keen young grads working in busy departments I'd like to report that this old nurse still has the stuff as I not only passed the megacode but made 100% on my test. I distracted myself after the first day by a trip to Frenchy's (a very good one near my daughter's place) and then Bulk Barn so as not to think about the algorithms.

Buoyed by the pass I rewarded myself as I headed home with a quick stop at MicMac Mall where I purchased a pair of sneakers for a Cuban friend and found some great boots for myself which I looked for all last winter. Here's the website to check them out:

http://www.bogsfootwear.com/shop/index.html

The BOGS are good to -40 and although I felt as if I'd be judged an eccentric old lady if I wore the patterned ones the solid black are more in keeping with my mature years and will keep me just as warm and dry as the more fashionable models.

The holiday weekend (or at least the one non working day I had of it) brought two daughters and their significant others home for a visit. Since the son-in-law only lives with one very non intrustive cat (Hank) he asked his wife in the morning if she'd heard all the racket during the night as he thought the cats must've been opening Christmas presents and playing basketball! We had our turkey dinner on Saturday evening and then I headed back to work on Sunday - whew, not ready for that.

The past few days have been balmy and warmer than the 'summer' we supposedly had. Spent the afternoon on the deck studying my next section of the course. Back to torturing myself I told the shore captain. "Into the home stretch now" he told me, "you're over 2/3 of the way there". I am sure when I'm into those final few weeks in December of studies, exam and skill day that I won't be so pleased with myself. Off to wake some poor unsuspecting souls. It's been a full moon night here in ER so you know how that unfolds. Later.

A successful road trip

Firstly, just let me assure you that the girl's day out (unsurprisingly) was a resounding success.Although transportation was a bit of an issue with my friend needing to pick me up and deliver me home as my poor car is still in the shop. The mechanic found a used air conditioner for $125 but of course now has to source a belt to fit it, but at any rate it is palliative not terminal and hopefully able to be retrieved on Wed. I shared the chauffeuring duties with the friend's Hyundai and all car problems were forgotten for the day. The quote of the day reminds me of something the friend would say as she's been known to say "common sense isn't all that common" but relating to using a newer model of car..."When you go on a trip,the first thing to pack is your common sense."

Bees working hard

Never thought of it this way....

They smelled as good as they look

With an early start we made our way first to Annapolis Royal as the weather forecast was for a sunny a.m. and possible showers in the p.m. We enjoyed the historic gardens fully as there were few visitors this time of year, the fall colors were in the beginning stages, the bees were doing their thing and the roses were still even blooming. We enjoyed the experience more as the Groupons which were to have been 1/2 price covered the total cost of admission for both of us. This allowed us to indulge in the gift shop as we'd 'saved' all that money and there were some great local crafts and books. If the pics make you think you'd like a good link for photography check this one out:

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1jvVx6/www.lightandcomposition.com/light-composition-volume-three-available-today/

Since the friend had done all the online research for lunch we deferred to her suggestion and tried The Bistro East on St. George St. (which is the main thoroughfare if you can call this quiet one way street such a name). We were NOT disappointed as it lived up to its positive Trip Advisor ratings and then some. I had homemade pasta with alfredo sauce and seared scallops with a side salad followed by dessert of flourless chocolate cake with a cup of tea. Heaven. And my thoughtful friend made the lunch my birthday gift. Ahhh. 
Speaking of happiness and heavenly stuff a good link to happy living:

http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/09/18/27-healthy-habits-of-happiness/

We ambled over to Charade Gifts on our way back to the car and checked out what this lovely little boutique had to offer. Brought back great memories of heading over to Annapolis Royal from camping at Kedge and shopping with the girls when they were younger for unusual finds. It has only gotten better. As we approached the vehicle we noticed a new shop called Lucky Lou's and ambled in, immersing ourselves in finds from the 50s and 60s and great gag gifts. Strange to think of our childhood stuff as retro (certainly not ready to call them antiques yet). As we stuffed our purchases in the car the first few drops of rain began to fall. What timing! Not sure if we followed all the guidelines for staying healthy on the road but we sure enjoyed ourselves.

http://www.uncorneredmarket.com/2009/08/ten-tips-for-staying-healthy-on-the-road/

As we headed down the French Shore we hit Frenchy's at Church Point, Saulnierville and Meteghan resulting in wonderful finds. Dishes, linens, sweaters, swimsuits and more. The lights had to be flashed for us at our last stop as the poor teenaged clerks struggled to kick us out and head home.

Arriving at a Subway for a late supper my (slightly older) friend reminded the Subway sandwich artist of the senior discount which it turned out was for those 55+ and whaddayaknow....that now describes me. I was tickled to receive the same % off. So aging does have some benefits it seems.

The weekend shifts were pretty frantic and it was a relief to head home after each one. Although I had the best of intentions to study for the ACLS course I'll be attending on Thursday and Friday I instead spent my day in domestic chores. That should tell you how desperate I was to avoid the books. Last night was manageable but I've contracted a nasty sore throat so did not make it in for work this evening as I'm just too tightly scheduled to allow myself to become really ill. Have an ER education day on Wednesday, and off to city to the Advanced Cardiac Life Support course the two days following. So off to make use of the extra hours for rest and recuperation.And to close some advice a friend forwarded:

Old Farmer's Advice

“Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.”
“Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.”
“Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.”
“A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.”
“Meanness don't just happen overnight.”
“Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.”
“You cannot unsay a cruel word.”
“The best sermons are lived, not preached.”
“Don't judge folks by their relatives.
“Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.”
“Live a good and honorable life, then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.”
“Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.”

“Live simply,love generously,care deeply,
Speak kindly,and leave the rest to God.”

“Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.”

55 and loving it

As I put fingers to the keyboard just let me open by saying that you're reading the post of a newly turned 55 year old woman. And if that doesn't impress you let me share some info from a radio program I was listening to this morning on my drive home from the clinical shifts I did this week. Gloria Steinham was being interviewed on being a 'game changer' and you can check out the interview with the link below:

http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2011/09/28/game-changer-gloria-steinem/#.ToPQI2OP8TQ.blogger

For those without the time or interest to invest in clicking the url let me just summarize by the overview she gave of 'women of a certain age' which is certainly relative this birthday girl. She explained the traditional feminine role as being from age 12 - 50 but when women reach the age of 50 they return to thinking like 10 year old girls (except they have their own apartment, can reach the light switch etc) and they dream of doing all the things they imagined when they were younger. In fact the older you get the more important it is to do things as you have less time remaining. Her thoughts were that men are younger they are more powerful and loose that power when they age. Women are conservative when younger and get radical and gain power as they get older. Ah what a feminist!

I have had a very nice birthday actually. Birthday wishes from all the daughters and "oops I forgot" from the males of the house. I made my way home from the city this morning and it was a beautiful day so I took advantage of the sunshine on the deck while catching up on the news. Made my way over to visit the remaining summer neighbour and her nurse friend who is visiting. They were out on the deck enjoying Templetons rye (it had been a favorite of her spouse) in the sunshine. I joined them for a visit and we polished off some wine, green onion hummus, pita chips and wonderful cheese while we compared healthcare in the US and Canada. I floated home, got the laundry in and took the dog for a walk. All in day a great day.

I've made several trips recently to the city to do the clinical shifts for the emergency nursing program and the extra mileage has likely contributed to the palliative condition of the car. It started making noises as I headed down on Sunday and they increased in volume. By the time I made it back to the local garage the mechanic diagnosed something major with the air conditioner, apparently the 'burny smell' wasn't a good sign and he spoke of it costing $1500 for a new one to be installed. This is more than the vehicle is worth so if this turns out to be the problem....decisions will have to be made. At least this trip home I wasn't stalled for almost 40 minutes on the approach to one of the city bridges as a motorcyclist lay in the middle of the road getting attention from the paramedics while traffic was diverted. He was scraped up but at least was conscious.

My clinical shifts went well but it is a bit grating to have to contribute four 12 hr. shifts to another facility on my days off. I had hoped to be able to escape with only three shifts and get prior learning credit for the other two but the instructor 'allowed me' to drop one 12 hr.shift as the new grads have to do five. So, let's see I have 35 yrs of RN experience, a good deal of it in Emerg and I manage to get one shift for credit - oh yeah, that sounds fair - NOT! I did manage to find my way around the department and get a few items of my skills checklist ticked off. I also learned (from a classmate who works there) that there had been several dropouts who fell too far behind to catch up so we are down to a group of eight of us now. The only equipment in the clinical which was the same from my facility was the IV pumps and the catheter tray so most of it was a huge learning curve of new processes and equipment. This is helpful if you're going to be working in the new spot at some point but a lot of that info just has to be deleted from the short term memory if not. This Monday was frantic in the way that I'm used to in my workplace as we are chronically short staffed and I have to say we handle it much better than those bigger hospital RNs - just sayin.

I was glad to have escaped the accreditation review of last week in my facility though - I still have flashbacks to my interrogation when I was the Infection Control Practitioner the last round. One of my coworkers emailed to say that just when it seemed safe to go back in the water one of the accreditors was wandering in the ER and she had approached him (as we do all wandering persons there) and he attempted to extract information from her. I almost felt sorry for him as I've seen her in action and divulging such info freely is not something she's known for. It does call for the statement about not speaking to strangers though.

The first set of clinical shifts I met up with a nursing colleague and we headed to the Garrison Grounds for an educational display by Medicin sans Frontier (Doctors without Borders) which was excellent. They were most interested in two old-nurses who are mission groupies and so we left smiling.

http://www.msf.ca/

We headed down the street and around the corner to grab some supper at Turkish Delight which is highly recommended:

http://www.turkishdelighthalifax.ca/

Great food, reasonably priced and lots of Turkish diners so you know it's authentic. I had a Groupon which was about to expire so it was put to good use as well.

Well, time to hit the hay as tomorrow is a girl's day as we head to see the gardens in Annapolis Royal. Got to charge my camera batteries as well as my own.

http://www.historicgardens.com/

Pictures to follow.

Not a bad mark for an older student

To ease the suspense I shall just start by saying that I DID make the required 75% on my second exam. I had it figured down to being able to have 18 questions wrong as they were worth 1.3 marks each. When I dropped an email with my grade to the shore captain (in Portland on business) his cryptic reply was - Not a bad mark for an older student with lots off spare time on her hands.......and yes that is how he spelled of - just wanted you to see where three of the four offspring got their spelling genes from. Needless to say I was thrilled to score such a mark and relieved to not have to undergo such torture again until December. 

In the week leading up to the exam there was a frantic set of shifts, a brief visit from the daughter and her husband, supper with neighbours, a quick stop at a yard sale (great Cuba suitcase and a lovely small crock) and a delicious meal at Lothars Cafe making it a trio of ladies who lunch. Hard to believe that our brief summer is slipping away as we head towards fall. 

I received a phone call from neighbours across the harbour as he shared that there was a "gannet show at 3 p.m. off the nubble buoy and over to the point". They are avid birdwatchers (read leftover hippies) and have donated some of their property to the NS Conservancy Trust so he was telling me that the birds were filling up on their way to over winter in the Gulf of Mexico, that they were earlier than usual and had been taking turns for hours diving into the ocean for bait fish. Apparently they usually visit only in twos or threes so this was quite a show. These across the harbour neighbours have been employed in the film industry for several decades (since one of the original movies was filmed in our area) and have traveled extensively doing props (he) and location work (she) although now they are choosing their projects carefully. He told me that he'd replied via fax to a director in Philadelphia stating that 'he couldn't work now as the peas are ready for harvest'. Ah! Their philosophy fits with the quote of the day:

The best advice I ever came across on the subject of concentration is: Wherever you are, be there - Jim Rohn

As the shore captain had industry talks and meetings with seafood buyers he supplies in Maine and I had to stay home to write my exam I was left to enjoy having rappie pie for supper (an Acadien delicacy) while watching the remnants of hurricane Katia where the seabirds rode out the storm surge. Although the dog looked at them with much interest - in her senior years (she will be 12 in the spring) she has developed a phobia of shooting. The neighbours suddenly began an impromptu skeet shooting session so a gunning dog who is gun shy and hid behind my chair isn't a good thing. Quite a change from her youth. 

During a particularly frantic night shift last week I told my coworker "I'm going to run away" to which she replies "where?" and I say "to join the circus". She matter of factly states "this is the circus" and there is no arguing with that! Reminded me of a quote in the business section of the newspaper today where an entrepreneur is quoted as saying "if you can't ride two horses and juggle plates at the same time, then you shouldn't be in the circus" Hard to argue with that either. So, should you be thinking of running away here is some 'how to' information from Lonely Planet:

http://bit.ly/oSy7Lc

Or perhaps you're just looking to relax for a shorter period. The advice does seem geared towards someone a tad bit younger than myself however the Words to Watch out for are worth checking out the link:

http://bit.ly/o40OOd

Speaking of younger folks we were visited by the baby daughter and her main squeeze on the weekend so got caught up on the news as it's been four months since that happened. I took advantage of her fearless self to groom Klyde and that isn't a job for the faint of heart. Whew.  Had my shifts switched around to accommodate a course others were taking and so really only had today to be productive - managed all my domestic chores in style and I'm heading in to an all day union meeting tomorrow so must hit the hay. Later.

Do you know how much Miami Heat tickets cost?

Although I should be studying for my exam - and the urgency of this need is intensified by the fact that my exam is only 7 days away and I have to work 3 of those days - I am catching up on the coverage of the hurricane that wasn't. Irene gave us a miss (thankfully) in our area although she caused lots of problems to the south and west of us. And in fact the baby daughter who had traveled to Las Vegas for quick getaway before heading back to school experienced it first hand. Apparently they were unable to return home as planned and were rerouted a couple of times and finally made it to Ohio. After being told it would be three or four days until they could fly out (there were 8500+ flights cancelled out of NY alone) they were driving and were outside of Boston this afternoon. That should make for some interesting travel stories.

As the travel planning continues and we look forward to heading to Florida, I mentioned to the travel partner that we might have some days before or after the cruise to take in a sporting event. He (who is a sports nut to put it kindly) quickly agreed. When I (in an attempt to prove that I knew something about sports) mentioned about Miami Heat basketball tickets and we could travel down on the tri-rail etc. he supported the idea of me looking for tickets. Do you know how much Miami Heat tickets cost? They were $700 + tickets and he says "oh they must be up in the nosebleed section, they're really expensive" He was sure correct as there were floor tickets for $7000 or more. I was flabbergasted! As the sports nuts said "that's why you see Jack Nicholson and people like that sitting in those seats". That quickly lead to research on a different set of tickets. He mentioned the Pathers (apparently they are a NHL team) and not only are they in Ft. Lauderdale the tickets are $48 - $80, so much more in tune with our budget. They are hosting the Bruins the evening before we cruise so it should be a good game.

Had a nice chat with two of the daughters today. The electrician daughter called to say she has a job interview on Wednesday morning so it sounds like the projects are moving again out west. We had chatted on my previous days off and she was telling me that she'd passed her provincial instrumentation exam - no surprise there - with a mark that I would be thrilled to claim on September 7th in my own. The teacher daughter was in the final stages of preparing for her grade 3/4 French Immersion classroom which - as she pointed out to me - is her first very own classroom as she has just previously 'borrowed' a classroom and students for a period of time. She is looking for floor cushions for her classroom reading area so (following in her mother's footsteps has made a trek to Frenchy's) but should anyone know of any such things, they will find a good home.

The prodigal son has found his way home after disappearing for a few days. Apparently had gone fishing with someone about 45 min. away for cash and neglected to tell anyone about it. The first night he didn't make it home I thought 'he's at a friends place' and then the second day his father said "haven't seen him at the plant or around the boat" by the third day we'd decided he had gone fishing. Wouldn't have been nice to know perhaps.

Did give me the chance on my 'days off' to complete 19 (yep you read that correctly 19) posting for my course. I received an email from the instructor today giving me the name of my preceptor for my clinical shifts in Emergency (so I will be dropping in to stay with the teacher daughter again) and you can be assured that I will be negotiating for 3 - 12 hr. shifts instead of the 5 which are listed in my letter! Fitting even three shifts into a full time schedule within five weeks is no small feat. At least these shifts will be a bit more applicable to my (present) workplace. After I have survived the exam and the clinical it will be a treat to be putting these toes in the warm sands of a vacation. The travel quote of the day supports this kind of thinking.

"Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe." ~Anatole France

And of course these links as well - the first re: wanderlust:

http://bit.ly/qLC0OO

And if you're going to travel you might as well take good photos of those travels:

http://bit.ly/mTKu8e

I shall dream of such things while I sleep the day away. Enjoy the sunshine!

Not enough nurses

It seems that the critical shortage of nurses extends to many areas. I was chatting online with my buddy working in the north and asking what his plans were for employment? He's working on a contract now and thinking of traveling to Cambodia possibly with a friend in the fall. He told me one of the 'older' nurses was asking him to "come down and work in Emerg" and I suggested that might not be so bad. He replied that if he'd been willing to leave the Legion on wing night last Wednesday they would have promised him the world as one of the RNs had worked a 17 hour shift because her replacement had called in drunk. I told him to "stop talking like that - you know that I dream of that".

On Monday night as I was just starting in to my days off the phone rang at 9 p.m. and it was a co-worker who pitifully said "I need help!" and I was thinking it was a consult for infection control (from my former life) but no she says "can you come work as a CCA (Continuing Care Assistant - or the entry level nursing assistant) tonight?" I chuckled into the phone and she said "don't laugh! I'm serious" So of course I agreed as RN pay and time and a half at that wasn't going to be a problem. "I can be there in 45 minutes" I said and made my preparations. The shore captain didn't have a problem when I said "do you mind if I go to work tonight?" because he said I had kicked and and jumped all night the night before. He was right - I had been having a horrible nightmare about working in a sauerkraut factory and I HATE sauerkraut so I was really suffering. The laugh was on me though as the RN on shift was ill almost as soon as I arrived and we ended up putting her to bed with a shot of gravol, threatening her with IV fluids and she ended up having bloodwork done before the physician on call would allow her to leave in the a.m. So I got to be the RN and CCA while working short - you'd think I'd learn not to gloat. I felt so sorry for the fallen comrade as I had been struck with the same bug and been cared for by a co-worker myself on the Friday of my night shifts.

I had been dreaming of a winter vacation and especially so this year to celebrate the surviving of my Emergency Nursing Course and checking out some cruises but....the cheapest I could find was about $1000 each. I had been asking some of the girls at work in case they should be interested to make it a 'girls getaway' and one of them said "can't I have to pay for my divorce" and when I expressed my sympathy she said "oh no, don't worry we get along much better now that we're not married". So without any takers in the female department I made myself have a look at the cruise speaker situation again so the life partner and I could swing it. And long story short I negotiated a gig doing creative writing, blogging and other such fun stuff on the Emerald Princess as below - my apologies for the misalignment it is 5 a.m.

Emerald Princess us and 3000+ passengers

10 days Southern Caribbean Medley Roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale





Port                                                     Arrival                       Departure
               
                                                            
1 Ft. Lauderdale, Florida                                                     4:00 PM

2 Princess Cays, Bahamas                  9:00 AM                   4:00 PM

3 At Sea

4 St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands  8:00 AM                   5:00 PM

5 Dominica                                           9:00 AM                   6:00 PM

6 Grenada                                            7:00 AM                  2:00 PM

7 Bonaire                                            12:00 PM                  7:00 PM

8 Aruba                                               7:00 AM                   5:00 PM

9 At Sea

10 At Sea

11 Ft. Lauderdale, Florida               7:00 AM

Not a bad itinerary if I do say so myself - snorkeling, sun, ah

So now I'm looking forward to the vacation and the topic. I spent yesterday morning going through some of my materials, had the shore captain fax the agreement and release form and so am really anticipating this kind of 'teaching'. I must polish up this blog if I'm to use it for an example.
 
And as for why I'm typing this at 5 a.m. well the short answer is that I answered my phone at suppertime and was offered the chance of doing 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. this morning instead of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and for the same pay as the time and a half makes it equal. What is not to like? The only wrinkle is that the cleaning lady will be attempting to put the house in order when I get home - not that I mind or will hear her but I may get under her feet and distract her and that should NOT be happening.