Melinda's Room

Hello from Bear...

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 01:04:33 GMT

...where there's a Dunkin' Donuts, a Happy Harry's, & a WaWa just about every mile or so *g*! Happy Harry's is a pharmacy chain. WaWa is a convenience store/gas station chain.

So much has happened. So let's start at the beginning.

There were no problems in leaving my previous employment. It was ... time. The owner was anxious to retire & things were going to change. I really believe I could have adapted, but I was ready to move on.

It was harder saying goodbye to my relatives (especially little Kylie & Aiden) and my best friend, Donna and her mom (who graciously let me crash at their house the last couple of days that I was in town). So, with a car stuffed like a tick about ready to bust, I got in the car & headed towards Dayton.

Yes, I went west in order to go east. Why, you ask? So I could attend the concert by Trans Siberian Orchestra. What can I say about this band that I haven't raved about many times before? They are totally AWESOME! They performed 2 shows that Sunday (I caught the late show). After the first show, the band came out & did an autograph session. When that wound up, the crowd for the second show was admitted. The band did a second show that was crisp & energetic. After THAT, they did an autograph session for the viewers of the second show. And they didn't just scribble their names and pass you on to the next band member. They took the time to talk with the fans. Totally and completely incredibly fantastic!

So at midnight, totally blissed and buzzed from the concert & autograph session, I got in the car & started driving west. I made it to Columbus & stayed at a Knight's Inn. As with most things, you get what you pay for. I've stayed a couple of times at a Knight's Inn and just haven't been impressed.

The drive on Monday was LONG. I made pretty good time from Columbus (OH) to Wheeling (WV). But I have never (and I do mean NEVER) been in Wheeling that they weren't working on that freakin' bridge! This trip was no exception. Delay...delay...delay. I made up some time between Wheeling & Washington (PA) and even more once I turned south towards Morgantown (WV). It occurred to me then that I was making one huge circle! Once I got to Morgantown, I was only 4 hours from Huntington & what had always been home to me.

But once I got on I68 and headed east over the Maryland mountains I ran into the Mother of all Fog. Visibility was down to 20 feet in places and never more than 35 feet. So I lost time because I cut my speed down. I didn't come down out of the fog until I got to Hagerstown. Then I could try to make up some time.

All in all, I wound up about an hour behind schedule and hit Baltimore at 4pm. TRAFFIC! Just what I wanted to avoid. So it was well past dark when I got to Newark (DE) where I was to meet up with my youngest sister (Toni) who would lead me to my new home.

I was really surprised when Toni met me to see her husband & 3 children (including my goddaughter). Turns out they intended to unload my overly packed car & help carry stuff up 3 flights of stairs so I wouldn't have to do it the next day.

Oh, do I owe them big time!

AND, Toni & Dianne had unpacked my stuff & put a lot of it away. I just have to put stuff where I want it now *g* but at least I didn't come in & find a room full of boxes & storage bins.

I'm adjusting to Bear, Delaware. It's about 15 miles from Wilmington so there's a LOT of traffic. The main road is US Route 40. And I do mean MAIN road. For someone used to a minimum amount of traffic, it's an eye-opener to deal with the amount of traffic around here. However, drivers here are very obliging. You are rarely cut off. It appears that drivers know everybody's in the same situation so they grant you the courtesy they expect for themselves. How totally cool!

Did I mention that Delaware has casinos & racetracks? I knew there was one in Dover but imagine my surprise to realize there's one about 10 minutes away from me. And on the direct route to Toni's house! Now there's something I didn't need to know *veg*!!!

And it's flat here! For someone used to seeing hills and mountains, this is a change. Even in Huntington (where I lived), the city streets were's level. Every street and/or road had curves and hills. This morning I actually saw the sun rising over the horizon. Then I realized I had no business being up that early & went back to bed. Definitely a change of scenery!

All in all, I'm settling in & I think this is going to be a good place. Once I get used to courteous drivers and the flat landscape. And stay away from the casino *snicker*.

Countdown

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 13:21:28 GMT

Well, it's 2 days until I leave the place where i've lived for 51 of my 52 years. I lived in the same house for 37 years then in 2 different places during the next 15 years. Now, I'm looking at leaving Huntington completely in 48 hours.

Let's just skip the fact that I haven't packed 1 gosh-darn thing that I kept here after the movers took everything else to Delaware *g*. I admit that I'm a charter member of Procrastinators Anonymous. However, I prefer to state that I work best when under time constraints *ahem*.

For the last couple of days, I've been doing the 'this will be the last time' routine. Some of it has been enjoyable in that it will be the last time that I'll talk with someone I won't miss in the least. Some of it, however, has been bittersweet. The last time I'll eat at Jim's Steak & Spaghettin House, the Snak-Shak, Austin's, Gatti's, Monty's. Okay, I admit. A lot of my nostalgia revolves around restaurants.

But tonight will be the last time for sleeping on the floor. Starting tomorrow, I'll get to sleep on beds *yippee*.

I'm a little worried about the future at times since this move is a gamble for me. (My sister's supervisor at her new job, however, is very pleased with her work. Dianne said the worst thing that has happened at her new job was that they ran out of chili in the cafeteria before she got there. I swear she snickered when she told me that!)

But I'm also excited about being in a new place, seeing new things, exploring new opportunities, eating in new restaurants...I like to eat, okay?!

It should be interesting.

Jealous...Yes, I admit it!

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 21:50:04 GMT

Hey, I have no problem admitting jealousy. While it may be one of the 7 Deadly Sins, I think my honesty in admitting it sorta evens up the scales.

What am I jealous of? Let me explain...

As you know, my best friend (Donna) & I went to see Ted Neeley in Jesus Christ Superstar. Magnificent! My youngest sister's (Toni) husband (they live in Delaware) got tickets for the same performance in Wilmington for their anniversary. So she got to see him last Saturday. Because her husband's place of work is a corporate sponsor of that particular Artist Series, he surprised her even more with BACKSTAGE PASSES TO MEET THE CAST!

Hang on while I meditate...I will let this pass...I will let this pass...ommmmm.....

She SAYS she sent the picture of her & Ted Neeley so I'd have a picture of him. But I KNOW that grin on her face...

My younger sister (Dianne) who's already made the move to Delaware was bummed because she missed the performance here & was missing the one in Wilmington. So Toni & husband (Andrew) got tickets for her to see a Sunday matinee performance. Their 2 older daughters apparently staged a successful protest so they received tickets as well.

And, yes! They got to meet Ted Neeley as well!

More meditation...ooommmmmm....ooommmmmm.....calm peaceful thoughts....

When Toni went to pick Dianne & the girls up, she parked in the parking lot & saw her older daughter frantically waving at her. So she picked up her youngest and went to join them. Somehow, Amber (Toni's oldest daughter) got her mother & baby sister backstage as well.

Toni's youngest daughter (Lexi) who is my god-daughter suddenly went shy when Ted Neeley smiled at her and said she was a very pretty little girl. Dianne snapped a picture of him patting her head. Lexi warmed up to him; and apparently there are some cute pictures that Dianne has promised to email me of the two of them together. Dianne artlessly remarked she also had a picture of her with Ted.

You know, I'm thinking there's not enough meditation for this situation.

But the kicker was Sunday night when Lexi finally conviced her mother to let her call me. "Drina! Guess what! I saw Jesus and he patted me on the head and said I was a pretty little girl!"

Yep, she was convinced she'd met Jesus. Personally, I can't wait to see how Toni explains this one to her (very devout) mother-in-law.

Karma...ain't it a kick?

Jesus Christ Superstar & the Keith Albee Theater

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 13:05:17 GMT

First of all, I'd like to say that Ted Neeley RULES!

Second, the restored Keith Albee Theater is GORGEOUS! They have a lot of work to do, but most of that is going to be cosmetic. They have restored all the intricate details of the baroque decorations, repainted the ceiling to resemble a blue sky at either sunset or sunrise (depending on how you want to look at it) complete with clouds. They have used light and shadow effects to bring back the original grandeur. This was the second performance in the renovated theater and people have been talking about how great it looks.

Third, Ted Neeley RULES!

Fourth, the performance was a sellout. The crowd was a nice mix of young & old but I'd say the vast majority were in the 40 to 60 range. I noticed some people mouthing the words of the songs (just like I was doing) so you had a bunch of fans in attendance.

Fifth, Ted Neeley RULES! He still has the range although maybe not the power behind the voice that he had 30 years ago. But he still had the crowd in the palm of his hand.

Sixth, if you see the stage production, forget the movie. The focus and timing is different. The play is a dramatization of what might have occurred. The movie had a bunch of people going into the desert to recreate it. Totally different focus.

Seventh, Ted Neeley RULES! (Yeah, I know I've said it a couple of times already but he does!)

Eighth, memorable performances (and I apologize for not having the program with me to give you the performers' names) - King Herod was a Vegas style lounge lizard complete with a chorus-girl backup. He could have been over-the-top, but he kept his performance in check to hit the right tone. Mary Magdalene had a marvelous voice and a great stage presence. She underplayed some scenes and made that under-performance work. Simon Zealote hit just the right tone for his solo with his smirking "Add a touch of hate at Rome". The Orchestra - Thanks to a new sound system, you 'felt' the music. It wasn't just supporting the performance, it was a PART of the performance. Judas Iscariot - No performance of this play will work without a strong Judas. This guy had a strong voice and his confrontation with the high priests after Jesus was arrested and his subsequent suicide was masterful and highly emotional. It perfectly played off against the cynicism of the high priests. And finally,

Ted Neeley RULES!

Heaving a sigh of relief

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 12:35:35 GMT

Well, the furniture and stuff are all gone from the apartment with the exception of the few items I kept for my stay. We got rid of the couch, chair, dining room table & chairs to a neice. They picked it up the night before the movers came. That gave me room in the dining room to stack stuff that was staying with me.

The movers came Friday morning but had the wrong work order. The one they had indicated they were only picking up and not packing. A couple of quick phone calls straightened it out but they had to wait for packing materials to be brought to them since the truck they'd been assigned didn't have any. Sorta confused me, but at 2:45 pm, everything was loaded and they were driving away.

What happens in Delaware when it gets there is NOT my problem *g*.

So I'm sleeping on the floor with all my stuff around me (laptop, BOSE player, lamp, & some genealogy research. At some point in the next 2-1/2 weeks, I'll get books to the library & stuff to Goodwill or to my friend Donna for her anticipated garage sale. As a member of the 'let's do it later' club, it'll probably be a mad dash the last week I'm in town to get it all done *snicker*.

But tomorrow night is the production of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley. Donna & I are SO looking forward to this! And Donna's mother insisted that I come back to their house to sleep in a bed. She's concerned about me sleeping on the floor for 3 weeks. Not to mention driving home by myself late at night & coming into an empty dark apartment by myself. So I've put out the word to family that I'll be at Donna's on Wednesday night. I COULD use the break from the floor but I'm really getting a kick out of being home alone & nobody asking me to turn down the volume on the BOSE *evil cackle*.

Moving

Tue, 17 Oct 2006 12:41:53 GMT

I hate it. Well, to be honest, what I hate is the packing. Our place looks like Pearl Harbor after the Japanese left. What an absolute mess!

And Dianne right now is the Queen of Lists. She has a list for EVERYTHING. Yes, she's spazzing big time.

If relatives would come & get the stuff that we're giving to them, we'd have more room to stack boxes. As it is, we can't hardly pack anything else because we have no room to put it!

Friday (when the movers come) can't come too soon for me!

Chaos and Absurdity

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 16:14:55 GMT

The chaos is getting ready to move. We've decided which of the old furniture we're giving away. Now if we can just get the relatives to show up & get it! We got the estimate for the moving which is with our anticipated budget so that's okay. We've been packing which means the entire apartment is a complete mess!

And because nothing in my life works on an anticipated schedule, the movers won't be able to pick up the furniture until next Friday. Dianne's leaving for Delaware on either the 18th or 19th in order to have time to do stuff there before starting work on the 23rd. That means I'll have to be in charge of the moving pickup. And I HATE that! I was really hoping to avoid it with this move, but no such luck. They won't be able to deliver until the 23rd, 24th, or 25th, depending on the schedule of the delivery team in the Bear, DE area. So Dianne's gonna have to bunk in with relatives in that area which she was hoping to avoid. Their house is even more chaotic than ours *g* which is NOT conducive to her peace of mind before starting a new job.

As for me, I'll still be in Huntington until Nov. 10th. Yes, less furniture but with enough stuff that I'll be comfortable. Still, it should be interesting to say the least.

Now for the absurdity. Dianne finally got the letter regarding her retirement benefits from her former employers. I got them KnotHeads, Inc., since to call them pretty much anything else is giving them FAR too much credit for anything! This is the letter that she's been waiting for since APRIL & been promised was being sent out "in the next week" for the past 8 weeks.

All of 2 pages long.

Now, I'm trying to figure out what took so long to write the darn thing. It was dated 9/27 but not postmarked until 10/10. Which means the last time she called which was right after Labor Day, the letter had not been written (although she was assured a month before that date that it had been "generated".

Like I said. KnotHeads. A block of wood with a hole in it. Accomplishes nothing and fulfills no purpose.

But the best part was the final paragraph. In bold type AND underlined: "You are required to notify us immediately of any changes in your address." Well, I'll be an expeditious in keeping you up to date as your group has been in getting a two-page letter out. Sheesh!

I told Dianne that if she plans on accessing this retirement when she's 55, she better start contacting them when she's 53.

KnotHeads, I tell you. KnotHeads!

Day 8 - Comin' Home

Sun, 08 Oct 2006 19:40:42 GMT

You know, no matter how good your system is for disembarking passengers, there are going to be people who screw it up. Try & remember that there are over 1000 people needing to get off the ship & understand that nobody's going anywhere very fast.

We were unfortunately stuck in line in front of this guy who just KNEW he could do it better. Not that he provided any suggestions. He just bitched a lot. Finally, his wife told him to shut up. Dianne gave me the silent look of "You will NOT laugh." When the line finally moved a little then stopped, the guy behind us started complaining again and wondering why we'd stopped. I was SO tempted to tell him it was probably some guy at the front of the line who was too busy complaining to keep the line moving.

But I was nice.

'Course this was the same guy who sat on the bus (to the airport) and kept wondering why we weren't on the road yet. Could it be because they buses only leave when they're full and this bus isn't? I told Dianne that if this guy was on the plane with us to Atlanta, I wouldn't be held responsible for what I said.

Fortunately, he was flying somewhere else and became somebody else's irritant.

Security wasn't too bad at the Orlando airport. We weren't in line anywhere close to as long as I thought we'd be. We actually had plenty of time to grab something to eat (Krispy Kreme Donuts!) and do a little shopping.

We didn't have very long at the Atlanta airport until we boarded our flight back to West Virginia. Both flights were very smooth, but both of us were starting to get tired. We weren't looking forward to the hour-plus drive back home.

But we made it. Tired and broke (in my case *g*). But we thoroughly enjoyed the trip.

We've decided our next cruise will be to Alaska. Whether that happens next year or not is debatable though. With the upcoming move, we've decided to finally ditch some of the 30+ year-old furniture that's falling apart. So the next cruise may not be until 2008.

But there's plenty of things happening on the horizon.

Day 7 - I LOVE Nassau!

Sat, 07 Oct 2006 21:35:54 GMT

Nassau is a fun town. There is so much energy & excitement there. I would love to be there after dark just to see how much partying goes on *g*.

And it's a colorful town. The unofficial motto is "You come up with the color & we'll paint it." First time I ever saw the a police station painted turquoise.

Dianne and I took a tour of Nassau, and we couldn't have had a better day for it. Beautiful sky. Warm temperatures (although not oppressively hot). Friendly vendors who 'encouraged' us to spend money...and we did!

The Pirate Museum tour was fantastic! Mostly because of my sister's fear of the dark. Yes, I AM fiendish as times. Our 'guide' who was a perfect pirate led us pase a couple of exhibits then opened this wooden door. "Enjoy your torture...I mean your tour." Then, with a laugh he slammed the door behind us. At this point, Dianne jumped, shrieked and looked around. "Where did he go?"

Okay, I'm laughing now. We followed the discrete signs past the exhibits until we got to this heavy dark curtain. Dianne stepped back and told me that I was going first. So I open the curtain and step into the next room which is almost pitch black. As Dianne steps in behind me, we hear this voice. "Welcome."

Somehow Dianne got past me so I was between her and the voice.

A woman stepped forward and assured us that nothing would touch us or jump out at us. Dianne nervously laughed & said "good". We stood against the wall while there was a reenactment of Blackbeard boarding 'our ship'. Our defenders rushed past us (generating another shriek from Dianne) to successfully defeat Blackbeard's attempt to take over our ship.

To be honest, one of Blackbeard's pirates was good looking....

Afterwards, we went ushered into 'port' for refreshments and, yes, souvenirs!

Every tour in Nassau will bring you back to the Straw Market (which is 2 blocks from the pier) so you will have more than enough opportunity to shop. There are upscale clothing and jewelry stores to t-shirt souvenir stores. So there's something for everyone in Nassau.

Day 6 - Just Sailin' Along....

Sat, 07 Oct 2006 00:49:09 GMT

The Caribbean is beautiful! The entire day was 1 'party' after another!

In the morning there was a breakfast buffet pool party on the Azure lounge of the Lido Deck (9).

During the day there was a Scavenger hunt, a couple of trivia contests, a Survivor game, and the hilarious Not-So-Newlywed-Game. In this Game, the moderator picked 3 couples. One couple had been married less than a year, one couple married around 10 years, and the third couple married for over 20 years.

In this game, one couple had been married 4 months, one couple 9 years, and one couple 32 years. The last couple won hands down. They had everyone in stitches. The best question was to the men. If you were marooned on a deserted island, would you rather be marooned with a nun or a lap dancer? The wives had to guess what their husbands answered. Both the younger women said lap dancer (and were correct). The older woman gave her husband THE LOOK and replied, "He better have said the nun!"

He had.

That evening there was a dance deck party on the Azure lounge. It was SO much fun. Just open dancing. Dance with a partner or dance by yourself. There were twist contests, line dancing contests, the longest conga line contest, and just dance your little feet off.

Tired, but happy, I dragged myself down to the Ebony Lounge about midnight for a showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

So, imagine a roomful of people who are (a) tired (b) happy/giggly and (c) had a drink or six. All watching (and participating) in the movie. I honestly can't see the attraction of the movie, but the audience was hilarious!

All in all, one great day!

Day 5 - Nirvana on Deck 3

Fri, 06 Oct 2006 00:20:14 GMT

This was a very lazy day, and I refuse to apologize for it *g*. We slept until about 9:30, waking up to find out we had already docked in Costa Maya.

Since I was still tired and Dianne's back was still sore, we opted to stay aboard since we didn't have anything planned in Costa Maya. We camped out on our balcony until the sun began shining in, then went down to Deck 3 on the other side of the ship.

This became our 2nd favorite place on the ship (well, 3rd if I count the casino *snicker*). Shaded by the lifeboats on Deck 4, the breezy deck was perfect for lounging. We ate our dinner on Deck 3 and stayed out them pretty much all evening.

Nirvana felt pretty darn good.

Concert Time!

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 15:21:05 GMT

And with everything else going on in my life, I have 2 (count 'em) 2 concerts lined up in the next month. I'm figuring I will be here that long. On 10/24, my best friend, Donna & I are going to see Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neely in his farewell tour. YIPPEE!!!!! Even best, the production is being held at the Keith Albee Theater which has been restored from the multi-plex crap to its original theatrical decor from the 1930's & 1940's. The original Keith-Albee had a gorgeous interior typical of the 'golden era of Hollywood'.

Then, on 11/12, I'm driving to Dayton (OH) for a concert by Trans Siberian Orchestra at the Nutter Center. *happy dance* This will be my 3rd straight year of catching their concert. Last year I was sitting ON THE FRONT ROW! This year I'm halfway back. But, for me, it's the music *sigh*.

And, if I work things right, I'll be on my way to my new home in Delaware right after the concert. As in hit the road after the concert and start driving to Delaware *g*. I figure I can make it as far as Columbus after the concert & then finish the drive the next day.

Okay...now I'm getting excited.

Day 4 - A Tale of Two Cultures

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 00:47:09 GMT

Belize City is an interesting city. It's trying to be modern while retaining a specific identity. You will see very nice homes right next to ramshackle shantys with laundry hanging on the front porch. While there is a 'good' and a 'bad' part of Belize City (and our tour took us through both), you will see affluence and poverty existing side by side.

Dianne's back went out so she opted to stay on the ship & forego the excursion to the Altun Ha ruins. There's no pier suitable for the ship in Belize City so we anchored 6 miles offshore and rode in small tenders to Belize City. By the end of 2007, however, Carnival will have constructed a pier at Belize City so their ships can dock directly. Once at the small pier, we were escorted to our tour bus.

Although the bus seats were comfortable and the bus' shocks in good shape, there's just so much they can do with rough roads. And once we left Belize City, the roads were definitely rough. The main road was a two lane winding road through the countryside. After 20 miles, we turned onto a secondary road which wound through the jungle as a one-lane hold-your-breath-when-you-meet-oncoming-vehicles road. That lasted for 12 miles.

Our guides were Marisol & Ken. Marisol guided us through Belize City while Ken took over at the ruins. Both were knowledgeable and proud of their country and its history.

The ruins themselves are impressive. I've been to 'old' places before and love hearing about the history of a place or people as well as reading about history. But I felt no connection with this place. Maybe because it wasn't MY cultural history. I thought this would change when we hiked to the top of the Sun God's Pyramid.

Now THAT was an example of bull-headed stubborn determination that I don't need to repeat *g*. Anyone who didn't feel they could make the climb could take the path around the pyramid and meet the group on the other side. Did I do easy? No, of course not. Gasping and wheezing for oxygen, I climbed to the top. If I'd had any energy left, I would've done a 'Rocky Balboa' dance. Instead I just sucked oxygen.

I now realize why human sacrifices didn't fight when they were taken to the top to be sacrificed. They were too winded!

After the tour of the ruins, those who were in good physical shape took a brief walking excursion. Those out-of-shape decadent Americans headed back to the air-conditioned tour bus. God, I love air conditioning!

I did a little shopping ta the Pier stores but didn't go anywhere else. I was way too sweaty and grimy since the sun decided to show itself while we were on top of the Sun God's Pyramid. The heat and humidity shot up like my dad's blood pressure during a Richard Nixon speech *VEG*.

If you go to Belize City, take the Altun Ha tour. It's educational; and if you include the Belize City tour with the package, you'll see parts of the city that tourists don't normally see. An excellent way to see the city's culture.

The pier stores are like the pier stores in any other Caribbean port. I did find some nice small wooden carved boxes (suitable for small pieces of jewelry or cufflinks) that I bought at a very reasonable price in one of the stores. Away from the pier, I understood there were some small stores but as to whether it would be worth it to give them a try, I can't say.

Day 3 - Greetings Y’All From Cozumel!

Wed, 04 Oct 2006 02:48:47 GMT

And was it humid & hot when we docked! Just before we disembarked, another thunderstorm hit. So we quickly walked under our umbrellas to the port shops. Dianne got gifts for people while I got distracted by the bling-bling.

A note of caution. When the sign says the shop’s prices are the cheapest, remember that it’s all relative! Cozumel can be expensive. Especially if you indulge in silver.

I collect keychains, so I looked at some in this one shop. I was immediately attracted by one that had a representation of the Mayan calendar. Then I saw a second one that looked like it had a large cat on it. When I asked the sales clerk, he said he wasn’t sure but would check. He came back and said that the invoice ticket said it was a panther. But he admitted that he wasn’t sure that was true.

Well, it was close enough for me! Sentinel fans will know what I’m talkin’ about *g*.

So, I purchased both of them. It occurred to me, as the clerk wrote up the sales receipt, that I should have asked the price first. Then I shrugged and figured I could just take one if they were too expensive.

I nearly choked when I saw him write down 1440! Then he wrote ‘pesos’. I was so relieved that I wasn’t even surprised when he did the conversion to American dollars.

Hold onto your hats, folks. I paid $120 US Dollars for 2 keychains. Granted, they are high quality solid Mexican silver. Dianne thought I’d lost my mind.

‘Course I never claimed to have the darn thing in the first place.

We spent the afternoon on the balcony watching the storms come and go. Living in the mountains, you don’t generally get to see the front itself approaching. Seeing it happen is way cool.

The rains cancelled the deck party that night so I wound up playing more Bingo. This time I won $100. Yippee!!! So I headed to the casino and managed to sit at “my” slot machine. God, I LOVE Jackpot Party *snicker*.

And tonight, it loved me. ‘Cause I hit the $250 jackpot! At the time, I’d run a $50 bank up to about $110. So I called it a night and cashed in.

So I figure my keychains were free.

Day 2 - Finding my kinfolk on deck 12

Tue, 03 Oct 2006 00:02:47 GMT

Talk about a day of de-stressing! Try laying on a deck chair on the Sun Deck (12) with absolutely nothing better to do. I read. I napped. I kept moving to avoid the direct sunlight even though I’d plastered on SPF75 sunblock.

We ordered room service and ate lunch on our balcony. Dianne said this was rapidly becoming her favorite place to be. It was quiet and you could be one with the wind & waves. I stood at the railing for a few moments, trying to decide what to do with my afternoon, when I saw it.

A school of dolphins.

Dianne ran back into the room for her camera but the pictures didn’t turn out. We could see them pacing the ship then they would leap up and out of the water, just happily playing with each other. Very cool sight.

I spent part of the afternoon as a contestant in the TV trivia game. Jeanne from Tennessee was a wild & crazy woman who just liked the sound of her buzzer. Half the time, she didn’t even know the answer. Karen from Alabama was a sharp cookie although I skunked her on all the ‘oldies’ trivia. At one point, she protested that she wasn’t even alive when some of the TV shows were originally broadcast. Jeanne told her to watch TV Land. Yep, as you might expect, the poor guy running the game didn’t have much control at this point.

By the way, Karen won.

I tried all day to catch a glimpse of Cuba as we sailed through the Florida Straights. Cuba...the bugaboo country of my childhood. The land of Ricky Ricardo & Fidel Castro. Yes, it was a split-personality type of thing where Cuba was concerned. Never caught sight of it, though.

Dianne took a couple of great pictures of the sunset that evening. We skirted the edge of a thunderstorm that evening & the water got a little choppy. I hit the casino & was bummed that someone was playing MY machine. My lucky machine. I kept an eye on it the whole time I was there just knowing this little old man was sucking all the luck right out of it.

But I realized that I’d found what must have been my long-lost kinfolk that morning on Deck 12. There were people up there lying on deck chairs who weighed more than I do & were even paler than I am!

Day 1 - The Hunt for Capt. Jack Sparrow Begins

Sun, 01 Oct 2006 22:49:06 GMT

What a long, LONG day! First, I woke up to thunder. Considering how soundly I sleep, it was VERY loud thunder. Then the heavens opened and poured rain. So I rolled over, sent up a silent prayer for the storm to quickly roll through, and went back to sleep. The prayer didn’t work.

When Dianne woke me at 2:45 (and then more forcefully at 3 am), it was still raining with thunder and lightning. So here I was, hauling out 2 bags of trash & 4 suitcases to the car in the hard rain. And this was the best part.

There was so much water lying on the road that I had to fight at times to keep the car on the road. Thankfully there wasn’t much traffic on the road at 4am so when I did encounter minor hydroplaning, at least there wasn’t much traffic to compound the problem. As it was, a journey to the airport that normally takes an hour took closer to 90 minutes. That really didn’t leave much time to park the car, check in & clear security. I think we actually only sat in the waiting area for maybe 10 minutes before we started loading onto the plane.

I was really crossing my fingers and hoping the flight wouldn’t be delayed since we only had about 70 minutes in Atlanta to catch our flight to Orlando. But even with some intermittent lightning, we took off on time. We had a lot of turbulence, though. Not my favorite thing when flying.

We grabbed an overpriced and not very tasty breakfast in the Atlanta airport. We accepted the peanuts on the flight to Orlando ‘cause we were both very hungry. The flight from Atlanta to Orlando wasn’t bad at all.

When we got our luggage at the Orlando airport, a very nice porter named Scott (who I SWEAR is Kasey Kahne’s twin...check out his picture on the Nascar website) took us and our luggage to the Carnival check-in area. Twenty minutes later, we were on a chartered tour bus. Another 45 minutes driving in the beautiful Florida sunlight found us at Port Canaveral and our ship, the Carnival Glory.

We were docked next to the Disney cruise ship, Magic. The Magic had docked that morning. The Disney people were busy doing unloading and cleaning while ‘right next door’ the Carnival people were loading passengers and luggage.

We were ushered off our bus and got our first taste of Florida heat & humidity. Dianne asked if I remembered it. Even though I was born in West Palm Beach, Florida, we moved back to West Virginia when I was 13 months old! No, I don’t remember it.

We were taken into the building to go through security. Now, why is it that no matter how many times it was announced that anything metal must be put into the bowls (that were strategically placed along the line), that people still got to the checkpoint and said “huh?”

We got through security (although I was ready to give the guy ahead of me a quick chop block to get past him) and filled out a form required by the Bahamian government. Then we officially signed in with Carnival and got our Sign & Sail Cards as well as our pictures taken. When leaving and entering the ship at ports of call, you must present your Sign & Sail Card. It gets scanned and your photo is displayed on the monitor. This ensures that you are who you say you are when you leave and get on the ship.

Then Dianne & I heard the magic words. “Welcome to the Carnival Glory. A buffet is being served on the Lido Deck.”

FOOD!!!!

It was a measure of how hungry we were that we headed straight to Deck 9 rather than check out our room. One generous serving of a beef & spinach lasagne (thankfully long on the beef & short on the spinach) later & we were off to find our room on the Verandah Deck (8).

Three of our four pieces of luggage had been delivered and the fourth arrived shortly after we did. Dianne & I had decided to spend the extra cash & upgrade to a balcony. VERY worth the extra dollars. With the beautiful weather we had on the trip, we spent a lot of time on the balcony just relaxing. We also met our room steward, Bernardo, who was from the Philippines. A super nice guy!

Then it was time for the mandatory lifeboat drill. It was obvious that the three women in line behind us had already taken advantage of the complimentary drinks and never SHUT UP! I was SO tempted to ask their names because if I was injured or died in an emergency because I couldn’t near the instructions, I wanted to know who to instruct my estate to sue.

Dianne gave me THAT look so I played nice and just rolled my eyes.

We decided to ignore the formal dining that night (as we did every other night *snicker*) and hit the burger bar on the Lido Deck. Then we climbed to Deck 10 & just lazed around in deck chairs as the sun set over the horizon. This trip was going to be our time of rejuvenation before the chaos that is to come.

Later Dianne went back to the room while I hit the Casino & Bingo games. I won $21 in the Casino & lost $20 at Bingo. I was 1 number away from winning $900 at Bingo. All I needed was I20. They called I22 & some guy yelled “Bingo!”.

There are times I truly hate that game.

Back in our room, Dianne was already asleep. I stumbled around in the dark to my bed. I pulled the drapes back so I could stare outside through the balcony door at the lights on the horizon just off the Florida coast.

SUCCESS!!!!!!!

Fri, 22 Sep 2006 16:34:49 GMT

My sister (Dianne) has unofficially been offered the job in Delaware! She's been told that the company's HR dept. is working up an official letter outlining duties, compensation ($62K), etc. So we're just waiting for the official letter to start the ball rolling on this end as far as giving notice at the apartment complex, my employment, etc.

She flew back home yesterday & called me when she got home about 1:30. She admitted that although she felt the presentation went well, she had a mini-meltdown when she got back to our younger sister's home. Apparently, her self-confidence was shaken more than anyone realized at her previous employment. She sorta laughed & said she told them (sister & hubby) that she felt she'd babbled and tried to fake her way through the presentation & interview and they would know she was a fraud. Brother-in-law assured her that the people who interviewed her were no fools and wouldn't have said she did well in the presentation if she hadn't done so. He works at the same company she interviewed for & knew the reputation of the people at the interview.

Anyhow, around 4pm (just a few hours after getting home), Dianne got a call with the unofficial news! We went out to eat last night just to talk things over. For some reason, if there are important decisions to be made, I want to go out to eat and talk them over there. Making important life-changing decisions at home is too much of a distraction to me. So we drove 30 minutes to the Snak-Shak (I will miss that place *g*) and talked stuff over. Where to live, how to coordinate all the stuff that needs to be done, yada yada yada.

She tends to stress over that sort of stuff. My philosophy is to take one thing at a time and deal with it...then move on to the next item. If you try to deal with the big picture, you'll be ovewhelmed. It'll work out.

Sometimes I DO drive her crazy *snicker*.

Anyway, besides scrambling today to get ready for the vacation (flying out tomrrow at 6AM! *groan*), we'll have all this other stuff to deal with when we come back.

Not that I'm complaining, mind you....

Talk to y'all when I get back from the Caribbean!

Roller Coasters, Shoes, & Rainbows

Tue, 19 Sep 2006 14:36:34 GMT

Well, a last minute change in travel, but my sister is on her way to the airport for her interview tomorrow. Instead of flying Monday to Baltimore, she's flying today to Philadelphia. She decided she needed more time to work on her presentation. Plus we had a mini-crisis last night to locate the proper shoes. 'Imelda' has (and I counted them) 14 shoe boxes in her closet plus 3 pairs of shoes on the closet floor. Only because it was nearly 9pm was a pair finally deemed acceptable when shoe polish was located.

Shoes, to me, are a necessary evil. I have no problems acknowleding that I'm a barefoot hillbilly. I hate shoes. I hate shopping for shoes. I will wear a pair of shoes until they are literally falling apart. I have a pair of boots for really snowy/icy weather, one pair of dress shoes that I truly believe was designed by one of Satan's minions, one pair of sneakers, and one pair of comfortable lace-up shoes. That's all you need, people. The dress shoes are black, the sneakers are white with blue trim, and the casuals are tan. I wear the casuals about 95% of the time since they are so gosh-darn comfortable. I have the dress shoes for the few times they are necessary (although I did slip up once & wear sneakers to a funeral...to my mother's embarassment).

But my sister's off & will be in the air around 12:30, getting into Philadelphia just past 5pm with an hour layover in Detroit. Yes, she has to fly northwest in order to go northeast. So keep the good thoughts coming (especially tomorrow afternoon *g*). I truly believe they're helping.

But this means all the vacation prep now falls to me *snicker*. Consider that I can be packed in 15 minutes. Dianne takes 3 days working with a master list.

Oh, and the Westboro Loonies have decided that gay people cannot use rainbows as a symbol anymore. By doing so, they're perverting the nature and reason rainbows were created. Looney...looney...looney...

Roller Coaster Update

Fri, 15 Sep 2006 19:42:28 GMT

Well, things are moving kinda fast here. Fasten your seat belts...it's going to be a bumpy flight.

My sister said the interview yesterday went very well. All her nerves disappeared when she began talking about a subject that she not only knows but enjoys. Ken, the departmental supervisor who was interviewing her, asked if it she would be available next week for a face-to-face interview if necessary. So she was very positive about the conversation. We spent hours last night checking out apartments & calling relatives in the general area to get info on the neighborhoods, traffic congestion, etc. (One of them used to drive a schoolbus & knows the greater Wilmington area VERY well.)

Today, my sister gets an email from Ken wanting to know if she would be available around 1:30 for a follow-up interview with the supervisor of the design team. She sent me a quick email (which I didn't get until after I got back from lunch) and I swear if anyone could hyperventilate via email, she was doing it. Unfortunately, I didn't see the email until after 1:30 so I didn't have a chance to call her before the interview.

But I just got a call from her. She said the following up interview went well. Although Ken is a departmental supervisor, he's not actually a member of the design team. During her conversation with Ben (the design team supervisor), they were able to talk using all the buzzwords and she coudl prove that she knew what the buzzwords meant. About 30 minutes after that, Ken called back and set up a face to face interview with her next Wednesday afternoon! They are also sending her a mock assignment that she will have to put together and present as a PowerPoint demonstration as part of the face-to-face interview.

So now she's making reservation for the flight, hotel, and rental car. She's planning on flying to Baltimore on Monday, then spend Tuesday looking at apartments, and putting the finishing touches on the presentation.

So, the good thoughts are working! Many many thanks. Please keep them coming! Maybe this application/interview will turn into an actual job!

Roller Coaster

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 19:32:44 GMT

And the roller coaster that is my life starts chugging up another hill....

As I mentioned in an early rant...I mean post *ahem*, my younger sister's employment was terminated. They are STILL messing her over about her retirement funds. I keep telling her that she's far nicer than I would be at this point. She was supposed to have all the pertinent information in 4 to 6 weeks. It's now right at 6 MONTHS! She says she wants to have enough information on their incompetency to blow them out of the water. I'm wondering how big a gun she needs.

But back to the roller coaster. A few months back, she interviewed for a job where she would be able to use both her BA in Fine Arts/Graphics Design and her Masters in Instructional Technology. After she interviewed for the job, she said that she was now convinced this was what she wanted to do and didn't want to settle for any other kind of job unless she absolutely had to. Unfortuantely, she was told that the position wasn't hers. So she got depressed but kept on looking.

Then yesterday, she got a call from this same company asking if she was still interested in the job. She swore she managed to maintain a professional demeanor while doing a happy dance. Right about NOW (3:30 pm EDT), she's doing a phone interview with the departmental supervisor. If things go well, the next step would be to do a mock assignment and present it at a face-to-face interview.

So, fingers are crossed. Heck, I'd even cross my toes if I were capable of doing so *g*. If she gets this job, we'll both be moving which is something I want to do for purely personal and selfish reasons.

And just to make things interesting, it's 1 week until vacation! One week and 1 day until the cruise!

Pardon me while I dance....

9/11 Remembrances

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 18:43:39 GMT

The previous generation remembers where they were when Pearl Harbor was attacked or when FDR died. Those of us who are older remember where we were when JFK was assassinated. The current generation remembers where they were when airplanes were used as terrorist weapons.

I was sitting in a hospital waiting room where my older sister was having outpatient surgery. I'd just walked to a pay phone to check in with my office when the word began spreading about what was going on. While I was on the phone with the office, word was announced that the Pentagon had been struck.

I remember walking back to the waiting room where someone had turned the television onto CNN. We all sat there the rest of the day watching in admittedly stunned disbelief. At first I kept waiting for the punchline. They had to be kidding, right? But when they replayed the second plane hitting the Twin Towers, it was very very real. Almost like someone smacked me across the face. I remember thinking, "So this is what it feels like to be at war."

Vietnam wasn't all that real until my best friend's cousin came home minus his eyesight, hearing in one ear, and the use of both legs. But even then, war was something that happened in some other country. Sure, our embassies had been attacked. But that was in some strife-ridden foreign country.

Then came word that the passengers of one hijacked airplane had fought back. Tragically, they perished when the plane went down in the Pennsylvania countryside. But they saved a tremendous number of lives with their action. Not to mention, avoiding an untold level of chaos had that one plane struck the Capitol or White House.

Those passengers, emergency workers, policemen, and firemen in both New York and Washington are true heroes. The word 'hero' is grossly overused. Many people are hailed as heroes when they've done nothing heroic. But those who perished on 9/11 and those who survived to continue searching for survivors and then bodies are actual heroes and deserve to be respected as such.

The loonies from the Westboro Looney Bin (I refuse anymore to call them either Baptist or Church) aka Fred Phelps & his brainwashed followers, announced their intention to picket remembrance ceremonies in Washington and Pennsylvania. They didn't mention New York City. Maybe they've finally gotten some sense into their insensitive skulls.

The adult action would be to ignore these cretins. They feed on emotional reaction to their abhorent actions and words. The problem is that just doesn't work. You don't ignore a rabid dog that's snarling at you. You put it down. You do it with compassion and understanding. But you do it.

Westboro is worse than a snarling rabid dog. IMHO, they need to be put down. Hard and fast is my personal preference.

Frankly, the true heroes of 9/11 deserve nothing less.

Things that bug me....

Fri, 08 Sep 2006 19:46:51 GMT

It must be the full moon. Usually I'm laid back. Yesterday, I gave my letter opener & scissors to a coworker with orders not to give them back to me no matter how much I begged for them.

Stopped by Office Max earlier this week and got the most inept cashier. Or just lazy. I had 3 items. Three! She paused and looked at every one of them, turning them over in her hand again and again, then finally scanned them. Then I handed her cash. She looked at it then at me and said "You can use a credit or debit card." If I wanted to do that, why would I have handed her cash? It's not like I'm asking her to figure the change (still can't believe some cashiers can't do that type of simple math). Punch in the numbers and the machine will tell you exactly how much money to give back to me.

Last night I got home from work after fighting a major headache all day. We wanted to check on the shore excursions for our cruise (Nassau hasn't been completely made accessible) so I stretched out on the floor of my sister's (Dianne) bedroom while she got on the computer. Now for the past couple of weeks, there have been hangup calls on our answering machine. Somedays as many as 10. Dianne figures it's telemarketers who hear the answering machine message and hang up. Yesterday there were 7 messages. I cracked a joke about paranoia and stalkers. Then the phone rings; and because we're busy with our vacation plans, we let the machine pick up. There's a man's voice just dripping with disapproval. "We have tried numerous times to contact you. It is important that we speak with you. We would appreciate it if you did not ignore these attempts to contact you. It is definitely in your best interest..." This when I picked up the phone.

Now since he'd called and used MY name and not my sister's, I figured there was no reason not to speak my mind. Besides, my head hurt & his tone of voice ticked me off to no end. When I identified myself, his voice completely changed to a smooth tone. I haven't worked in a sales office for years without recognizing THAT tone. He only got his name out before I laid into him. I told him that hang up calls didn't count as conversations; that calling during the day when most people worked generally meant you weren't going to talk to someone; that his tone of voice sucked; that I didn't appreciate his implied threats nor did they impress or intimidate me; that if he and the people in his company couldn't conduct themselves in a professional businesslike manner I certainly had no intention of doing any sort of business with them; that I wanted to be put on their do-not-call list; and if I received another phone call from them, and by-the-way I have caller ID so I'll know where the call originates, that MY next call will be to my attorney.

Then I said good-bye and hung up.

Anyone ever watch Designing Women? Normally, I'm not much for sitcoms, but I loved the character of Julia Sugarbaker. She could flay strips off someone's hide and be a lady while doing it. My heroine.

Dianne stared at me for about 2 seconds then started laughing. Then she asked if we could put our number on the national do not call list.

We disagree on this. Telemarketers are people trying to earn a living. I wouldn't want the job myself and would hate it if I had to do it. As long as they obey the rules of when to call and conduct themselves in a professional manner, I honestly don't have a problem listening to their pitch. Who knows? They might actually have something I want/need. But if not, it's my time to waste.

So I tell her no. If I answer the phone and it's a telemarketer, I'll handle it. If she's home alone, I know the machine will pick up the call 'cause she won't unless she knows who's calling.

And we won't get into work today. I alternately felt like a day care attendant and the ringmaster at the circus.

*sigh*

Two weeks and I'll be lounging on the deck of the ship Glory. Frankly, after the last couple of days I don't care if it's raining when I do.

Pictures! We have pictures!

Fri, 01 Sep 2006 23:24:31 GMT

Many many MANY thanks to my brilliant computer guru genius of a sister. Dianne has worked very hard to correct my errors in trying to upload pictures to my website. I think I'll just let her do that when we get back from vacation (LEAVING IN 3 WEEKS!).

Anyhow, go to my website

wvrebel.angelcities.com

Click on Rogues Gallery & see some of my family that I talk about.

Fri, 01 Sep 2006 01:00:31 GMT

I've posted Chapter 20 to my website: http://wvrebel.angelcities.com

The story is now completed!

Prologue - A kingdom falls
Chapter 1 - An alliance is made between Shi'ar & Elhalyn
Chapter 2 - A wedding is held in Shi'ar
Chapter 3 - Three Aramis brothers are ambushed by raiders
Chapter 4 - Elhalyn has a new ruler
Chapter 5 - War breaks out as Shi'ar is threatened
Chapter 6 - Allies reach Shi'ar and a surprise is found in Dedresia
Chapter 7 - An alliance is formed but personalities clash
Chapter 8 - Rik, Stefan, and Devora all face important decisions
Chapter 9 - The search for the Stones begins
Chapter 10 - Two Stones are recovered but Rik receives bad news
Chapter 11 - Adriana pays a heavy price and confusion in Wolf's Lair
Chapter 12 - Christien admits to a problem & Paolo surprises Lucas
Chapter 13 - Lucas gain advantages on several fronts
Chapter 14 - Betrayal & tragedy in Shi'ar
Chapter 15 - Confrontation in Dedresia
Chapter 16 - What happened on the Misty Isles
Chapter 17 - The Prophecy is revealed
Chapter 18 - Lucas gets what he wants
Chapter 19 - Evan confronts Leodin & Solitaire
Chapter 20 - Victory comes with a high cost

As always, feedback is appreciated!

Cops...Live on Location in Huntington

Wed, 30 Aug 2006 16:09:15 GMT

Bad boys, bad boys, wha'cha gonna do? Wha'cha gonna do when they come for you? Bad boys, bad boys.

Yes, the citizens of Huntington can breathe easier. The mayor was in the police helicopter circling the town while the governor was on the ground. As usual, it was the cops who did the actual work.

Massive drug raids began yesterday at 2am and continued throughout the day. The governor was incensed that drug dealers in Detroit referred to Huntington as Moneytown because of all the money that's here for the taking.

My big ole patootie! Somebody should try to make a legal living in this town (and that includes the governor).

There's this vacant lot across the street from where I work. It actually belongs to Amtrak but they allow the Railroad Historial Society to use it for parking and stuff while they work on restoring old railroad cars.

So yesterday morning about 9:30, I glance out the window to see a city police car pulling onto the vacant lot. Not unusual because they use it as a speed trap to catch speeders (the area is a mix of commercial & residential and there are a lot of complaints from residents about speeding).

Then I see a second car. Then an unmarked car. Then a county sheriff's car. By the time all the cars had pulled in and turned around so they were headed out, I counted 8 cars of various sizes. Out of the cars come state troopers, sheriff's deputies, and city police officers. All wearing Kevlar vests.

I'm wondering what's going on? Is Bush paying a surprise visit for some reason? Should I start eyeballing the vacant warehouse on the other side of the tracks for snipers? And how come I never have a camera when I want one?

The cops mingle around for a little while, talking with each other. Then they all huddle around one car. Then they go back to their cars and chill out there for about 5 minutes. Then I see one cop on a cell phone. When he hangs up, all the cops get in their cars and pull out of the vacant lot in this caravan.

We find out later about the drug raids. Apparently, cops were in staging areas all over the city. Part of the ones that I saw hit several houses about 7 blocks away, and part of them raided several apartments in a public housing project about 10 blocks away.

Not many details have been released as yet. However the governor was on local TV last night saying that he was committed to getting the drug dealers out of Huntington (the mayor was standing behind him solemnly nodding). The governor said that Huntington is not Moneytown.

Truer words were never spoken, governor. Like I said, try making a legal living in this town.

On a very serious note, an undercover narcotics officer was shot and killed early yesterday morning in Beckley (about 2 hours southwest of Huntington) while working undercover. It's not known at this point if his cover had been blown or if he was caught between two warring dealers. When shots were fired, the cops rushed the building and arrested everyone inside including the shooter. It's not know if the cops on the raids early yesterday knew of the Beckley officer's death before the raids began. However, I can state for a fact that the cops in the staging area across the street were loaded for bear.

There are good cops, and there are bad cops just like there are good doctors and bad doctors. I've known many cops in my life. Huntington is really a small town when it comes to knowing people or being related to them. I've known guys who were cops and left the force (or made to leave). I know guys on the force (including the drug task force) who are great guys and good cops. And I knew one cop who was killed in the line of duty.

To paint all cops with the same brush as bad cops is doing everyone a disservice. They deserve better than that.