Wow, I haven't posted anything to this blog in a long time. I can surmise that there might be any number of reasons for my extended time away from blogging, but probably most to blame would be my recent introduction to the twitter-verse. Can you blame me? Far less planning and effort goes into a post that is 140 characters long and can be sent in via cell phone.
Nikki and I have been on a cruise to the Bahamas since Monday. It was a last minute destination choice that turned out to be predictably fantastic. The very minor drawback of being outside the country was that I could not post my tweets easily. Had this not been a last minute thing, I should have asked Ian how he has been doing them from England for the past week.
In any case, I recorded (what would have been) my tweets for the last two days and will post them on this blog now that we are in Key West.
6/9
(7:54 AM):
Good Morning Bahamas!
(8:32 AM):
8:30, and I've been offered my first alcoholic beverage of the day- I declined.
(10:45 AM)
As the Carnival ship docks next to us - L: They have a water slide on that ship. N: But we have a rock wall.
(11:30AM)
It seems a little strange to me that we have no intentions of getting off the ship today. We have been to Nassau before though.
(3:00 PM)
Yawn..... Nap Time.
(6:45 PM)
Wow. At some point it wasn't so much a nap as you went back to sleep again. At least we feel rested.
(10:15 PM)
Just saw back-to-back, unrelated, Fox News segments about South Carolina government. #southCAROLINAfail
(10:30)
Seriously thought about proposing we skip the show and go back to sleep again. #vacationfail
(10:31)
@nberger13 saw my previous tweet and said "hmmm, you're tired too?" Apparently the four hour nap this afternoon wasn't enough for either of us.
(11:45 PM)
Another fun day doing virtually nothing. No plans, no destinations, no tasks, and no schedule. Seems at cross purpose with typical me - but something truly wonderful about it.
6/10
(7:40 AM)
I shouldn't be too 'upset' that I woke up 'early' since it's two hours later than normal.
(8:32 AM)
Anchored off Royal Carib's Private Island Cococay. There's that beautiful ocean I remember!
(8:52 AM)
Losing myself in this endless, beautiful horizon.
(10:17 AM)
We're anchored today off Royal Caribbean's private resort island. That sounds cooler than it is - but I'll admit, is pretty darn cool.
(2:25 PM)
I'm on vacation and haven't had nearly enough alcohol. Where is the closest open bar?
(2:47 PM)
Found a suitable one on Deck 5. So many to choose from - I love cruise ships.
(6:54 PM)
Nikki's Pina Coladas cost three different prices based on where and when we order them. I keep it simple with a rum and coke.
(9:22 PM)
That was a seriously "high-quality cow product." Some of the best steaks I have enjoyed have been in international waters.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Pixie Dust in the Crust?
The late night Pizza delivery available as a guest at the Walt Disney World Resorts is really good pizza. I shouldn't be surprised I guess since most things at Disney have that little extra something to distinguish it from everything else. Nevertheless, I am impressed by the pizza. I suppose for $16 a pie, it better be good!
Disney's Real Best Kept Secret
Around the Walt Disney World Resorts in Kissimmee, Florida, there are hundreds of signs advertising "Disney's Best Kept Secret."
It appeals to Disney guests on a deep root level because there is so much mystery surrounding the magic of Disney. The catch phrase is designed to prey upon your curiosities and instincts to try to learn as much as you can. The ad is of course for one of Disney's worst kept secrets - its time share program. I have nothing against the Disney Vacation Club. In fact, as a side note, I think its a really well put together program and Nikki and I have seriously considered buying in to it at some future point. Its on the list for after Aundroma part 3 is a mega summer blockbuster.
Disney does have a much better kept secret though. This one is not advertised on any of the official Disney web pages I have been able to find. It's not publicized on any maps or show guides around any of the theme parks. You won't find in on the scheduled events board in any of the resort lobbies. If you know where to find it, and get to the right place at the right time, you too can see the Walt Disney World Water Pageant. It's only a few minutes long. In truth it's a little cheesy. In its quaintness and cheesiness lies its charm. Here now for your viewing pleasure, the Walt Disney World Water Pageant.
I don't know if this will display properly on Facebook, so here is the link to the blogger page.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Victory is Mine
"Victory is mine. Victory is mine. Great day in the morning people, victory is mine. I drink from the keg of glory Donna, bring me the finest muffins and bagels in all the land." --Josh Lyman, The West Wing Season 1 Episode 2.
Ever since Nikki and I first discovered the Buzz Lightyear ride in the Magic Kingdom, we have enjoyed a bit of rivalry on this as well. For anyone who has never experienced it, this is a basic target shoot arcade game themed to Space Command of Toy Story fame. Like miniature golf, this is also something that Nikki routinely tops me on.
I am a very competitive person. Winning isn't everything, but it is a whole lot more fun than losing. The point, I suppose, is to make sure you are having fun. Nikki and I compete with each other from time to time and it's always fun - for at least one of us. Whenever we come to Disney World for example, we renew a chapter or two of this competition.
Nikki and I don't play miniature golf very often, but it has become folded in to our annual Disney vacation. For years, she has beaten me over and over again and it's not usually a very close contest. Today, I got the best of her though and set a daily course record in the process! The picture is probably too small to read but I shot a 43 to Nikki's 51 on a par 56 course. Lot's more pictures are on my Facebook page.
Ever since Nikki and I first discovered the Buzz Lightyear ride in the Magic Kingdom, we have enjoyed a bit of rivalry on this as well. For anyone who has never experienced it, this is a basic target shoot arcade game themed to Space Command of Toy Story fame. Like miniature golf, this is also something that Nikki routinely tops me on.This year, our vacation plans did not include the Magic Kingdom and thus would not include a chance for Nikki to demonstrate her prowess to me on the Buzz Lightyear ride. Instead, we got our first look at a brand new attraction in Disney Hollywood Studios (the theme park formerly known as MGM Studios) called Toy Story Midway Mania. It's basically the same ride but instead of being themed to Space Command, this time the Toy Story characters star in a carnival.
The other main difference, is that I won! That's my score on the left. 111,000 to 72,000! WooHoo!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Stop the Whining
I think earlier this summer when John McCain’s adviser called the United States of America, a “nation of whiners”, he was definitely referring to college football fans. I know what you are thinking. I would feel very differently if I was not a Gator fan. I am only writing this post because I am a loyal member of the Gator Nation and our team will play for the National Championship on January 8th in Miami. You know what? You’re right. Our team is in, yours is not, time to get over it and stop whining.
This post will not be about the fallacies of the Bowl Championship Series and the flawed method through which Division I crowns its champion. Yes, I know it’s supposed to now be referred to as the ‘Football Bowl Subdivision’ but I think that terminology lends extra legitimacy to the programs flaws.
Since the inception the BCS era there have been teams with legitimate gripes about being left out of the end-of-season pairing. The cries being heard in the state of Texas right now just make me nuts. They are yelling from the hilltops about Oklahoma being in the championship game over them even though they beat that team on a neutral site. Their argument is about “settling it on the field.” While the sentiment is a valid one, it does not apply here.
If Oklahoma and Texas had played all their games and finished tied for the year, then absolutely Texas should be given the edge because they beat Oklahoma on the field. That is the trump card. No one makes the case for Alabama to be in the championship game after losing to Florida since both teams now only have a single loss. No one will make the case in Miami on January 9th for the loser of the championship game to be crowned National Champion forgetting the outcome from the game. The problem here is that Oklahoma and Texas did not finish the year tied with each other. They finished in a three-way tie which included Texas Tech. Each and every single time Texas feels the need to enumerate the injustice visited upon them, there should be an automatic message playing from the Red Raiders immediately following it. They had a three-way tie; they had to go five levels down the tie-break rules to determine a winner. What’s done is done and Oklahoma came out victorious.
They’re all arguing over who will get the right to be the national runner-up anyway. GO GATORS!!!!
This post will not be about the fallacies of the Bowl Championship Series and the flawed method through which Division I crowns its champion. Yes, I know it’s supposed to now be referred to as the ‘Football Bowl Subdivision’ but I think that terminology lends extra legitimacy to the programs flaws.
Since the inception the BCS era there have been teams with legitimate gripes about being left out of the end-of-season pairing. The cries being heard in the state of Texas right now just make me nuts. They are yelling from the hilltops about Oklahoma being in the championship game over them even though they beat that team on a neutral site. Their argument is about “settling it on the field.” While the sentiment is a valid one, it does not apply here.
If Oklahoma and Texas had played all their games and finished tied for the year, then absolutely Texas should be given the edge because they beat Oklahoma on the field. That is the trump card. No one makes the case for Alabama to be in the championship game after losing to Florida since both teams now only have a single loss. No one will make the case in Miami on January 9th for the loser of the championship game to be crowned National Champion forgetting the outcome from the game. The problem here is that Oklahoma and Texas did not finish the year tied with each other. They finished in a three-way tie which included Texas Tech. Each and every single time Texas feels the need to enumerate the injustice visited upon them, there should be an automatic message playing from the Red Raiders immediately following it. They had a three-way tie; they had to go five levels down the tie-break rules to determine a winner. What’s done is done and Oklahoma came out victorious.
They’re all arguing over who will get the right to be the national runner-up anyway. GO GATORS!!!!
Reading is Fundamental
I never cease to be amazed by the people I encounter who fail to use such a basic skill. I am not poking fun at the illiterate. For those people who lack the ability either through a failure of their educational system or a lack of mental capacity, I find the lack of their ability to read to be a genuine tragedy. I am referring to those who I interact with on what seems to be a near daily basis that possess this elementary ability and through personal choice have decided that they don’t need to use it.
As a manager in a customer service and retail environment, part of my job is to answer questions. I have always liked to read and am blessed with a good memory for the minutiae that I come in contact with. Therefore, I get more than my fair share of calls from people who work with me and need some basic question answered. It must be easier to call me than it would be for them to look up the answer themselves or make an earnest attempt to actually learn the material. I don’t mind this role. To be truthful, I sometimes enjoy it. In some way, it makes me feel useful and helps validate my sense of worth. What tries my patience most though is when someone calls me for an answer and I have to direct them to a piece of paper or a computer screen that is right in front of them at the time make the inquiry. It seems that in the last ten days or so, the majority of the questions I am asked fall into this category.
When it’s a customer that is asking the question, it’s an altogether situation. In those cases, maybe our signing is not as easy to understand as we think it is, or possibly in their haste it was easier to ask someone than to seek out the answer on their own. When it is my co-workers exhibiting these same behaviors, that can try my patience some times.
Last weekend, I had to repeatedly teach people that when they could not figure out what their cash register was trying to do, their first and best option was to read the screen in front of them. Someone who is paid a whole lot more money than I make in a year developed a point of sale terminal that prompts you for each step of the process – perhaps we should allow them to earn that salary. I actually had a moment where I watched someone repeatedly alternating between the buttons labeled “clear” and “enter” all the while the machine was beeping and displaying a message which stated “press total to continue.” One of my colleagues recently asked how I came to know so much about the systems we use every day. I told him that I read the materials we are given. He mistook this truthful answer for modesty.
Why is it that we ignore the most basic and simplest solutions? Especially those which are right in front of us. Is it a commentary on laziness?
As a manager in a customer service and retail environment, part of my job is to answer questions. I have always liked to read and am blessed with a good memory for the minutiae that I come in contact with. Therefore, I get more than my fair share of calls from people who work with me and need some basic question answered. It must be easier to call me than it would be for them to look up the answer themselves or make an earnest attempt to actually learn the material. I don’t mind this role. To be truthful, I sometimes enjoy it. In some way, it makes me feel useful and helps validate my sense of worth. What tries my patience most though is when someone calls me for an answer and I have to direct them to a piece of paper or a computer screen that is right in front of them at the time make the inquiry. It seems that in the last ten days or so, the majority of the questions I am asked fall into this category.
When it’s a customer that is asking the question, it’s an altogether situation. In those cases, maybe our signing is not as easy to understand as we think it is, or possibly in their haste it was easier to ask someone than to seek out the answer on their own. When it is my co-workers exhibiting these same behaviors, that can try my patience some times.
Last weekend, I had to repeatedly teach people that when they could not figure out what their cash register was trying to do, their first and best option was to read the screen in front of them. Someone who is paid a whole lot more money than I make in a year developed a point of sale terminal that prompts you for each step of the process – perhaps we should allow them to earn that salary. I actually had a moment where I watched someone repeatedly alternating between the buttons labeled “clear” and “enter” all the while the machine was beeping and displaying a message which stated “press total to continue.” One of my colleagues recently asked how I came to know so much about the systems we use every day. I told him that I read the materials we are given. He mistook this truthful answer for modesty.
Why is it that we ignore the most basic and simplest solutions? Especially those which are right in front of us. Is it a commentary on laziness?
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Not a Motel 6
Editor’s Note: This is the second of two blog posts that I conceived in the middle of September and haven’t taken the time to complete until now.
I love to travel. I remember going so many great places with my family when I was growing up. The semi-annual vacation to some distant destination was always exciting. It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I first experienced a vacation on a cruise ship. That time it was along the inside passage of Alaska. Eight years later, I went on my second cruise and took my new bride on her first. Nikki didn’t do a lot of recreational traveling when she was growing up and absolutely loved the idea of us going away to new places. We went to the Bahamas for our honeymoon. Three years later, we took our second cruise together – we went the Bermuda. This fall, we sailed to the Eastern Caribbean.
A vacation on a cruise ship is an amazing way to spend a week. Every detail is so fantastic. The food is gourmet, the entertainment is exciting and the multitude of amenities aboard ship provides just the desired amount of relaxation opportunities. The ship we were on this time had fifteen decks, three pools, four whirlpools, three specialty restaurants (in addition to the standard formal and casual dining locations) and over a dozen bars. Did I mention there was an ice-skating rink and a nine-hole miniature golf course too? The only thing that was lacking was the cable system, but who wants to spend their entire vacation watching television anyway?
The all encompassing experience of it all allows such a feeling of escapism for which I have never experienced an equal. I revel in the fact that they post the day of the week on a changeable piece of carpet in the elevators because it would otherwise be so easy to completely lose track. That’s all before you think about the fact that you are traveling towards an exotic destination of some kind. You can seriously make the point of the vacation to be on the ship instead of which ports you are scheduled to visit. Nikki and I tend to take this in to account when planning our vacation. We always try to have a balance of days at sea and days in port so we can fully experience both. The cruise ships I have vacationed on are top of the line when it comes to service level and cuisine. They are the equivalent of a floating four or five star resort.
To this end, it always amazes me watching fellow vacationers who are either not used to cruising and most certainly not used to the level of service provided on these ocean-going vacation vessels. I observed many passengers for whom the idea of the luggage being delivered to their room was strange. The notion that if you can’t decide between two great entrees at dinner you can just have both was even more alien. What I found most amusing was watching people who were wandering around looking for the ice machine. You’re not staying at a cheap roadside establishment where you carry a plastic bucket to the vicinity of the elevators and fill up an ice tray. Here, that aluminum bucket in your room is filled twice daily by the state room attendant. The ice machines are not publicly accessible. You’re traveling first class, enjoy it and relax!
I love to travel. I remember going so many great places with my family when I was growing up. The semi-annual vacation to some distant destination was always exciting. It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I first experienced a vacation on a cruise ship. That time it was along the inside passage of Alaska. Eight years later, I went on my second cruise and took my new bride on her first. Nikki didn’t do a lot of recreational traveling when she was growing up and absolutely loved the idea of us going away to new places. We went to the Bahamas for our honeymoon. Three years later, we took our second cruise together – we went the Bermuda. This fall, we sailed to the Eastern Caribbean.
A vacation on a cruise ship is an amazing way to spend a week. Every detail is so fantastic. The food is gourmet, the entertainment is exciting and the multitude of amenities aboard ship provides just the desired amount of relaxation opportunities. The ship we were on this time had fifteen decks, three pools, four whirlpools, three specialty restaurants (in addition to the standard formal and casual dining locations) and over a dozen bars. Did I mention there was an ice-skating rink and a nine-hole miniature golf course too? The only thing that was lacking was the cable system, but who wants to spend their entire vacation watching television anyway?
The all encompassing experience of it all allows such a feeling of escapism for which I have never experienced an equal. I revel in the fact that they post the day of the week on a changeable piece of carpet in the elevators because it would otherwise be so easy to completely lose track. That’s all before you think about the fact that you are traveling towards an exotic destination of some kind. You can seriously make the point of the vacation to be on the ship instead of which ports you are scheduled to visit. Nikki and I tend to take this in to account when planning our vacation. We always try to have a balance of days at sea and days in port so we can fully experience both. The cruise ships I have vacationed on are top of the line when it comes to service level and cuisine. They are the equivalent of a floating four or five star resort.
To this end, it always amazes me watching fellow vacationers who are either not used to cruising and most certainly not used to the level of service provided on these ocean-going vacation vessels. I observed many passengers for whom the idea of the luggage being delivered to their room was strange. The notion that if you can’t decide between two great entrees at dinner you can just have both was even more alien. What I found most amusing was watching people who were wandering around looking for the ice machine. You’re not staying at a cheap roadside establishment where you carry a plastic bucket to the vicinity of the elevators and fill up an ice tray. Here, that aluminum bucket in your room is filled twice daily by the state room attendant. The ice machines are not publicly accessible. You’re traveling first class, enjoy it and relax!
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