. . . find. . . new. . . place. . . to. . . live.
Doh!
7.26.2007
7.15.2007
Little Anglo Lie
So I suppose that I conveniently forgot to mention that I wouldn't be working in NY at all. Flew into Jersey, worked in Bayonne (Jersey) and flew outta Jersey. It was an all Jersey weekend, and it wasn't half bad.
Picture shows two, forty-foot containers up on the pool deck of the Azamara Journey cruise ship. This is one of two ships that Celebrity has acquired from Pullmantur Cruises and this was the first one to be renovated. I get to help renovate the second one in the fall. Azamara is a sub-brand that Celebrity has created to distinguish it's higher class, and more intimate, cruises. These ships only hold about seven-hundred people so the experience is a lot different than one of the larger vessels. I didn't get too much time to look around but it seems like a nice ship.
So the big job that JS and I had to fly up to Jersey for was just to unload a couple hundred new deck chairs onto the pool deck. The job was supposed to be a lot more difficult with old chairs being disposed of and the possibility of the new chairs being so thoroughly wrapped for protection that it might have taken forever to strip each one of it's padding. However, we ended up only disposing of a few dozen old chairs and each new unit was sitting comfortably in a box with very little in the way of additional protection. Ended up being a pretty easy day on Saturday.
Still lost another weekend to my new salaried position.
Shucks.
Picture shows two, forty-foot containers up on the pool deck of the Azamara Journey cruise ship. This is one of two ships that Celebrity has acquired from Pullmantur Cruises and this was the first one to be renovated. I get to help renovate the second one in the fall. Azamara is a sub-brand that Celebrity has created to distinguish it's higher class, and more intimate, cruises. These ships only hold about seven-hundred people so the experience is a lot different than one of the larger vessels. I didn't get too much time to look around but it seems like a nice ship.
So the big job that JS and I had to fly up to Jersey for was just to unload a couple hundred new deck chairs onto the pool deck. The job was supposed to be a lot more difficult with old chairs being disposed of and the possibility of the new chairs being so thoroughly wrapped for protection that it might have taken forever to strip each one of it's padding. However, we ended up only disposing of a few dozen old chairs and each new unit was sitting comfortably in a box with very little in the way of additional protection. Ended up being a pretty easy day on Saturday.
Still lost another weekend to my new salaried position.
Shucks.
7.12.2007
I Have No Travel Plans. . .
. . . but the company has plenty.
Really I can't complain. I've only been to Gotham twice and both times I was working as a tour guide. That means that I drove onto The Island once to drop off passengers and then drove to a hotel in New Jersey. And the second time I drove to The Block all I did was pick up new passengers and then I promptly left for Niagara Falls with the new tour group. So going to the Big Apple isn't exactly a punishment. Of course the possibility of having time to actually appreciate Manhattan is highly minimal. Flight gets into NJ tomorrow at Five o'clock in the post meridiem and I'm slated to work at Six o'clock in the ante meridiem on Saturday. Dog only knows how long the work day will be on Saturday and then I fly back out fairly early Sunday morn.
Not exactly conducive to sightseeing.
I hear the ferry to Ellis Island takes longer than ten minutes so I doubt I'll be visiting that great American icon. Interesting note about that. . . is seems that Hornblower Cruises wasn't happy just running the cruises to Alcatraz, now they seem to have acquired the rights to run the boats to Ellis Island. Go JP. The world is yours.
So, gone is my complacency in the office. Off to learn a new port, pier and loading process so that when I have to go in an emergency later on it'll be easy. Haven't mentioned it yet but this trip is a bit of a luxury because I'll be the junior member of a logistics team. That means I won't be there alone. I'm travelling and working with a guy who has been with the company about eighteen years. When he started with Royal Caribbean I believe they had something like six ships. Now Royal has twenty-one and Celebrity has another ten. Times have changed in that man's world and hopefully he will impart some of his wisdom this weekend as we work and 'play.'
Perhaps I can detail the reasons for our trip later on. But I think I'll pass on taking the ol' laptop on this mini endeavor. My group may be getting blackberries soon so I think I'll take this opportunity to travel unplugged. Of course the cell phones don't care where I am. . .
Really I can't complain. I've only been to Gotham twice and both times I was working as a tour guide. That means that I drove onto The Island once to drop off passengers and then drove to a hotel in New Jersey. And the second time I drove to The Block all I did was pick up new passengers and then I promptly left for Niagara Falls with the new tour group. So going to the Big Apple isn't exactly a punishment. Of course the possibility of having time to actually appreciate Manhattan is highly minimal. Flight gets into NJ tomorrow at Five o'clock in the post meridiem and I'm slated to work at Six o'clock in the ante meridiem on Saturday. Dog only knows how long the work day will be on Saturday and then I fly back out fairly early Sunday morn.
Not exactly conducive to sightseeing.
I hear the ferry to Ellis Island takes longer than ten minutes so I doubt I'll be visiting that great American icon. Interesting note about that. . . is seems that Hornblower Cruises wasn't happy just running the cruises to Alcatraz, now they seem to have acquired the rights to run the boats to Ellis Island. Go JP. The world is yours.
So, gone is my complacency in the office. Off to learn a new port, pier and loading process so that when I have to go in an emergency later on it'll be easy. Haven't mentioned it yet but this trip is a bit of a luxury because I'll be the junior member of a logistics team. That means I won't be there alone. I'm travelling and working with a guy who has been with the company about eighteen years. When he started with Royal Caribbean I believe they had something like six ships. Now Royal has twenty-one and Celebrity has another ten. Times have changed in that man's world and hopefully he will impart some of his wisdom this weekend as we work and 'play.'
Perhaps I can detail the reasons for our trip later on. But I think I'll pass on taking the ol' laptop on this mini endeavor. My group may be getting blackberries soon so I think I'll take this opportunity to travel unplugged. Of course the cell phones don't care where I am. . .
7.11.2007
Booked
I've now had my fingerprints taken and checked with the FBI database two days in a row. . . and yet I'm not in prison. Gotta be a record. No, I haven't been getting into trouble. Yes, I have been jumping my way through more hoops than a more respected man could shake a stick at. Done gone and got myself a corporate credit card (though it's really just a charge card and all the expenses come back to me. you know, in case I get rowdy and head off to Atlantic City or something). And the last two days I've been finding my way through port security regulations at the Port of Miami and Port Everglades.
Getting a port ID for each port is apparently extremely necessary. I haven't needed one yet but everyone assures me that if I don't get it right away I'll be sorry. Well I guess I hate to be sorry so I just finished jumping through those hoops. The process at Port Everglades wasn't too bad but the process at the Port of Miami was like taming a wild tiger with a t-bone tied to your leg. Stoopid.
Next time you are forced to enter one of our lovely DMV offices here in the states take a minute to look around. Now imagine a room the size of one of those cubicles in the middle and place four disgruntled agents and fifteen impatient customers co-existing inside it. That's the ID office at the Port of Miami. At one point the staff started leaving one by one until there was only one agent and eight people waiting in line. The agent looks up and proceeds to go on a tirade about how she was only there today to train another guy, etc, etc, etc.
Suffice to say I probably spent two hours waiting in various lines. Good times.
Wish I had something more interesting to write about but I can only complain about the weather so much.
Getting a port ID for each port is apparently extremely necessary. I haven't needed one yet but everyone assures me that if I don't get it right away I'll be sorry. Well I guess I hate to be sorry so I just finished jumping through those hoops. The process at Port Everglades wasn't too bad but the process at the Port of Miami was like taming a wild tiger with a t-bone tied to your leg. Stoopid.
Next time you are forced to enter one of our lovely DMV offices here in the states take a minute to look around. Now imagine a room the size of one of those cubicles in the middle and place four disgruntled agents and fifteen impatient customers co-existing inside it. That's the ID office at the Port of Miami. At one point the staff started leaving one by one until there was only one agent and eight people waiting in line. The agent looks up and proceeds to go on a tirade about how she was only there today to train another guy, etc, etc, etc.
Suffice to say I probably spent two hours waiting in various lines. Good times.
Wish I had something more interesting to write about but I can only complain about the weather so much.
7.01.2007
Is That You, Hell?
It's Me, Aaron.
No, Southern Florida isn't really That bad. Bit hot though. Not so much of a big deal now that I finally convinced my roommate that I really do weigh one-point-five-times her weight and there's something to be said for a little a/c when you're carryin' around that kinda junk in multiple trunks.
Actually we're still experiencing thunderstorms almost every afternoon and the breeze that blows through our place is, and Bill & Ted would say, "Most Excellent." I believe in fresh air. Hell, I've spent most of my life breathing it so why would I let a little humidity stop me from enjoying it on a daily basis now? But a man's gotta sleep. . . . so they tell me.
Got the a/c on tonight though. Gots-ta. Gets to sit me through a three-hour meeting tomorrow morning. Planning mtg. for the upcoming drydock in Hamburg. Already experienced one last week. Wasn't so bad except for the part where nothing happened concerning my department, which was most of it. No matter, at least I won't be flown thousands of miles to a job I have no scope on ever again. Or will I?
Good night you princes of Oregon, you knights of the round block of Gouda.
No, Southern Florida isn't really That bad. Bit hot though. Not so much of a big deal now that I finally convinced my roommate that I really do weigh one-point-five-times her weight and there's something to be said for a little a/c when you're carryin' around that kinda junk in multiple trunks.
Actually we're still experiencing thunderstorms almost every afternoon and the breeze that blows through our place is, and Bill & Ted would say, "Most Excellent." I believe in fresh air. Hell, I've spent most of my life breathing it so why would I let a little humidity stop me from enjoying it on a daily basis now? But a man's gotta sleep. . . . so they tell me.
Got the a/c on tonight though. Gots-ta. Gets to sit me through a three-hour meeting tomorrow morning. Planning mtg. for the upcoming drydock in Hamburg. Already experienced one last week. Wasn't so bad except for the part where nothing happened concerning my department, which was most of it. No matter, at least I won't be flown thousands of miles to a job I have no scope on ever again. Or will I?
Good night you princes of Oregon, you knights of the round block of Gouda.
6.26.2007
This I Where I Work
Well, okay, I don't work too much onboard the ship. . . and no, I don't work in the building to the left. . . it's all about the pier for me, baby.
This is Balentyne Pier in Vancouver, B.C. For those of you who have been wondering what I'm doing with myself when I get to travel to Vancouver now you have a frame of reference for where I am. Of course this doesn't show any of the hectic activity that goes hand in hand with a vessel on a turn around day. . . this shot is taken before she's even tied up to the pier.
Thirty minutes after this picture there are multiple cranes and conveyor belts unloading luggage from the vessel. A minimum of three shell doors (just large doors on deck 1 which is just below the level of the pier at the tide shown here) will be open and either off loading luggage or loading provisions and other stores. My job? Open a fourth shell door and shove a bunch of mattresses inside. Sah-Wheat.
This last weekend was a blast. Plenty of sushi to be had in the VNC and the work went smoothly enough. Only loaded two-hundred and ninety-eight mattresses but that's only cause we never found a way to dispose of them in Canadia. Got myself a spanky new Sonata with a sun roof and took to the hills a bit. Vancouver is definitely a city that'd be worth exploring at some point. The real kicker is that Victoria is just a ferry ride away and most of the people I've talked to seem to like it even more.
Back in the oppressive heat of Southern Florida. Roommie ad I are gonna have to have a chat pretty soon cause she still ain't showin' the love for the A/C. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to never run the air conditioning. . . . . . . if we lived in a place where you don't need air conditioning. I think my sleep in starting to suffer. The other day I thought I was funny. . . and I knew my sleep was starting to suffer.
Well, the end of a long corporate day. Worked on expense reports, pounded out a couple applications for Port IDs and wrote a couple dozen emails. Only made one international call today, and that was to Canadia (which probably don't really count) so it was nice not to be on the phone a lot. Maybe this weekend I'll get crazy and actually call people that I don't have to work with. What'll they think of next? Fun? Probably not, I hear that'll never be invented again.
Time to trade industrial a/c for automotive a/c.
a/d out.
This is Balentyne Pier in Vancouver, B.C. For those of you who have been wondering what I'm doing with myself when I get to travel to Vancouver now you have a frame of reference for where I am. Of course this doesn't show any of the hectic activity that goes hand in hand with a vessel on a turn around day. . . this shot is taken before she's even tied up to the pier.
Thirty minutes after this picture there are multiple cranes and conveyor belts unloading luggage from the vessel. A minimum of three shell doors (just large doors on deck 1 which is just below the level of the pier at the tide shown here) will be open and either off loading luggage or loading provisions and other stores. My job? Open a fourth shell door and shove a bunch of mattresses inside. Sah-Wheat.
This last weekend was a blast. Plenty of sushi to be had in the VNC and the work went smoothly enough. Only loaded two-hundred and ninety-eight mattresses but that's only cause we never found a way to dispose of them in Canadia. Got myself a spanky new Sonata with a sun roof and took to the hills a bit. Vancouver is definitely a city that'd be worth exploring at some point. The real kicker is that Victoria is just a ferry ride away and most of the people I've talked to seem to like it even more.
Back in the oppressive heat of Southern Florida. Roommie ad I are gonna have to have a chat pretty soon cause she still ain't showin' the love for the A/C. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to never run the air conditioning. . . . . . . if we lived in a place where you don't need air conditioning. I think my sleep in starting to suffer. The other day I thought I was funny. . . and I knew my sleep was starting to suffer.
Well, the end of a long corporate day. Worked on expense reports, pounded out a couple applications for Port IDs and wrote a couple dozen emails. Only made one international call today, and that was to Canadia (which probably don't really count) so it was nice not to be on the phone a lot. Maybe this weekend I'll get crazy and actually call people that I don't have to work with. What'll they think of next? Fun? Probably not, I hear that'll never be invented again.
Time to trade industrial a/c for automotive a/c.
a/d out.
6.19.2007
So Much For Forties
No, I'm not talking about the fine malt beverages sold at your corner store. And now that I've gotten rid of half of you I'll get down to business for the remaining two.
There's no rest for the lazy (is that how that saying goes?). Here I thought I might actually get two weekends in a row in Florida to hang out with all my new friends (just let that one slide wouldcha?) and instead I'm getting shipped back up to Vancouver for the weekend. So much for my forty hour weeks. Not a bad gig really. We'll see what kind of rental car I get this time. Hell, the step up I took last time from my car to the GT was big enough that if I made that step again the thing would have to fly!
It seems that the mattresses will not be defeated. The latest battle is once again with disposal. Seems Canada has a law which prohibits importing used mattresses in any way shape or form (short of them being fumigated while they are still on the ship, which ain't gonna happen). So the ship will now take on two-hundred less mattresses than we (and by we, we mean I) planned and they'll have to stash the old ones all over the ship (passengers outta love that, "Oh look, Honey, the galley is through this door. What do you think the galley looks like?" Lady, the galley looks like the floor has been covered in old, stained mattresses. Get out.) and then finally dispose of them in Juneau. Who woulda though that it'd be cheaper to get rid of hazmat in Alaska than it would be in Canada?
Actually, the only way I could make this weekend better would be to hitch a ride on the ship from Vancouver to Juneau (only three days) in order to watch only three-hundred mattresses get disposed of. Probably one of the only cruises I'd really be interested in. That can't happen though cause on Monday I have the first meeting for the Quest drydock in Hamburg next fall. Kinda looking forward to seeing the scope of the work.
Hope to get more regular again. Bought some powdered fiber yesterday.
There's no rest for the lazy (is that how that saying goes?). Here I thought I might actually get two weekends in a row in Florida to hang out with all my new friends (just let that one slide wouldcha?) and instead I'm getting shipped back up to Vancouver for the weekend. So much for my forty hour weeks. Not a bad gig really. We'll see what kind of rental car I get this time. Hell, the step up I took last time from my car to the GT was big enough that if I made that step again the thing would have to fly!
It seems that the mattresses will not be defeated. The latest battle is once again with disposal. Seems Canada has a law which prohibits importing used mattresses in any way shape or form (short of them being fumigated while they are still on the ship, which ain't gonna happen). So the ship will now take on two-hundred less mattresses than we (and by we, we mean I) planned and they'll have to stash the old ones all over the ship (passengers outta love that, "Oh look, Honey, the galley is through this door. What do you think the galley looks like?" Lady, the galley looks like the floor has been covered in old, stained mattresses. Get out.) and then finally dispose of them in Juneau. Who woulda though that it'd be cheaper to get rid of hazmat in Alaska than it would be in Canada?
Actually, the only way I could make this weekend better would be to hitch a ride on the ship from Vancouver to Juneau (only three days) in order to watch only three-hundred mattresses get disposed of. Probably one of the only cruises I'd really be interested in. That can't happen though cause on Monday I have the first meeting for the Quest drydock in Hamburg next fall. Kinda looking forward to seeing the scope of the work.
Hope to get more regular again. Bought some powdered fiber yesterday.
6.13.2007
B.C. Wheels
Just wanted to show my pretty little "compact" rental car that I drove in Vancouver. Not too shabby. Unfortunately the weather didn't hold up and I didn't get to drive around with the top down too much. But I suppose I got a lot of work done and had some amazing sushi so the weekend wasn't a total loss. I gotta admit that I was pretty juiced to drive a Mustang. It's a GT no less.
Back in Florida finally and don't have any immediate travel plans. . . we'll see how long that holds up. The weather here is what some people would call warm and what I would call ludicrous. It's gonna take some getting used to. I figure a dip in the pool at least once a day is probably mandatory and the air conditioner is gonna have to come on at some point at the house, condo, apartment or whatever the heck that place is where I live.
This is my first week of puttin' in a regular forty-hour work week. Guess I better get to it. With a little luck maybe I'll actually have my own cubicle in the farm here with my own extension and my very own handy little business cards and maybe a new computer, etc., etc., shall I continue.
Things aren't perfect but I can't complain about this life.
Hell, who would listen?
Back in Florida finally and don't have any immediate travel plans. . . we'll see how long that holds up. The weather here is what some people would call warm and what I would call ludicrous. It's gonna take some getting used to. I figure a dip in the pool at least once a day is probably mandatory and the air conditioner is gonna have to come on at some point at the house, condo, apartment or whatever the heck that place is where I live.
This is my first week of puttin' in a regular forty-hour work week. Guess I better get to it. With a little luck maybe I'll actually have my own cubicle in the farm here with my own extension and my very own handy little business cards and maybe a new computer, etc., etc., shall I continue.
Things aren't perfect but I can't complain about this life.
Hell, who would listen?
6.07.2007
B.C.
Got into Vancouver around midday. Customs took forever but I was rewarded with a rental car that was a little above what I'm paying for. I'm not gonna spoil the surprise before I can get a picture posted. It's something stupid. . . but not as stoopid as a Hummer.
My hotel is in a rather unsavory area. Think Tenderloin, E14th St., and certain parts of West Oakland and then just add a couple thousand more addicts to the mix. Good times. I'm probably gonna punk out and drive most places. . . especially considering the car I've got.
Did a little work today but the bulk is tomorrow and then I can try to enjoy the city. I'm off to see if I can enjoy game one of the NBA playoffs at the moment. As usual I can't get internet access in the hotel room and workin' in the lobby of this particular establishment leaves just a bit to be desired.
Wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who made the effort to see me in the Bay Area this last weekend. Most likely I'll be back late summer or sometime in fall but you never know. I could move to Guam.
Oh, and if you're bored and like bikes check out the new and improved(?) Drunkcyclist site linked to the right.
My hotel is in a rather unsavory area. Think Tenderloin, E14th St., and certain parts of West Oakland and then just add a couple thousand more addicts to the mix. Good times. I'm probably gonna punk out and drive most places. . . especially considering the car I've got.
Did a little work today but the bulk is tomorrow and then I can try to enjoy the city. I'm off to see if I can enjoy game one of the NBA playoffs at the moment. As usual I can't get internet access in the hotel room and workin' in the lobby of this particular establishment leaves just a bit to be desired.
Wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who made the effort to see me in the Bay Area this last weekend. Most likely I'll be back late summer or sometime in fall but you never know. I could move to Guam.
Oh, and if you're bored and like bikes check out the new and improved(?) Drunkcyclist site linked to the right.
6.06.2007
Big Surprise
Of course the title is supposed to be dripping with sarcasm, but I don't think they've created a font to express heavy sarcasm yet.
Big surprise that I haven't posted for a week and chances are that the time between posts will increase with the passing of that same time until I end up somewhere completely foreign again in time. Right.
Big surprise was what my mom got when my brother (from the W.I.) and I flew in to California last Friday to help her celebrate her 60th birthday. She wasn't expecting it and after a weekend of celebration things are winding down. After a few days of camping in the redwoods of Northern California a lot of things can be seen with proper perspective.
Big surprise that I'm flying up to Vancouver for a one day job on Thursday.
Even bigger surprise that the one day job involves loading MATTRESSES on board a cruise ship.
Biggest surprise is that I fly back to Florida on Sunday and that I don't have any more flights planned for work or for pleasure at this moment. We'll see how quickly that changes now that I've identified it as something possibly good in my life. Truly I'm not really sure what I'll do when I get home, sit down and realize that I don't have a packing deadline for my next trip. Jinxed myself again.
I should be in Vancouver on Saturday with no work to do so hopefully I'll get a few pictures and maybe find time to post again. . . assuming the hamsters in my laptop can keep up.
Big surprise that I haven't posted for a week and chances are that the time between posts will increase with the passing of that same time until I end up somewhere completely foreign again in time. Right.
Big surprise was what my mom got when my brother (from the W.I.) and I flew in to California last Friday to help her celebrate her 60th birthday. She wasn't expecting it and after a weekend of celebration things are winding down. After a few days of camping in the redwoods of Northern California a lot of things can be seen with proper perspective.
Big surprise that I'm flying up to Vancouver for a one day job on Thursday.
Even bigger surprise that the one day job involves loading MATTRESSES on board a cruise ship.
Biggest surprise is that I fly back to Florida on Sunday and that I don't have any more flights planned for work or for pleasure at this moment. We'll see how quickly that changes now that I've identified it as something possibly good in my life. Truly I'm not really sure what I'll do when I get home, sit down and realize that I don't have a packing deadline for my next trip. Jinxed myself again.
I should be in Vancouver on Saturday with no work to do so hopefully I'll get a few pictures and maybe find time to post again. . . assuming the hamsters in my laptop can keep up.
5.31.2007
5.29.2007
Summit Center Classic
Well so much for that. I just flew back into Dania from Phoenix. Quite the weekend up in Flagstaff as I was helping TC, Fitty and Chopper put on the wildly successful Summit Center Classic. The Classic is a three-day, four stage bicycle road race that Flagstaff Biking Organization puts on every Memorial Day weekend in Northern Arizona. The event has been tweaked every year for the past four years, with some stages making the cut and other stages only lasting one year. However, after this years stellar event TC thinks that the future schedule is locked in. . . and since TC is the race director I imagine that the lock will remain just that; locked.
Best to check out the website to the right if you want a more comprehensive rundown of the event but I will certainly enjoy giving you the highlights here. Saturday morning starts with a prologue time trial up Mars Hill which ends at the Lowell Observatory. (A time trial is where riders are sent off individually every few minutes.) I've never ridden this short stretch of road but most riders would describe it as "intensely painful." The strongest climbers will complete the hill in about two minutes but most people are well off that pace. For many riders this is the first time they have really pushed themselves in the seven-thousand foot altitude this year and I heard more than a few athletes say that the steep hill and thin air affected them well into the next stages of the race.
While I didn't have anything to do with the prologue up Mars Hill I was privileged enough to help set up the second stage that occurred on Saturday; the downtown criterion. (Roughly a "crit" is a loop that is less than one mile each lap. Riders go off in their respective categories (women, men, youth broken down into skill levels) and ride the circuit for a set number of minutes anywhere from about fifteen minutes up to forty minutes for the men's Category One and Two. If the leaders lap you then you get dropped and get your sorry butt off the course.) So, this downtown crit was just over half a mile and TC really pulled a rabbit out on this one. M0st of downtown Flag had to be shut down and the permit process took six months to complete. This portion of the event was arguably the most successful and highly noticed race that Flag Biking Org has ever put on. There were people all over the place, most businesses were booming downtown and people were wandering over from an art fair that was down in Wheeler Park. I actually don't have words to describe how great it was. . . it's the sort of thing that Flagstaff needs more often and the city will be crazy to deny the permit for next year.
Sunday brought another brilliant stage on the NAU campus. The course was a loop about two and a half miles long which means it is titled a circuit race instead of a crit. Once again riders compete within their specific categories. There were about eight different categories. Unfortunately, the roads weren't closed to traffic so that made volunteers very important for traffic control and there were also five NAUPD or FPD at different corners to keep people moving. Funny, the speed limit on most of the NAU campus is fifteen miles an hour but some of these riders were traveling AT LEAST twice that fast on the flat and downhill portions of the course. My role was to help organize volunteers and generally act as a runner over the whole course in case someone was injured or needed help in some way. This stage didn't draw nearly as many people as the downtown crit but it's understandable because of the location and longer course length.
The last stage is actually the easiest in terms of planning and volunteer coordination. A road race with three different lengths depending on what category you race. The longest route is eighty-four miles. The race started at Upper Lake Mary and turned around way out at Clint's Well to head right back pat Lake Mary. There is a little up and down to the race but TC truly showed his most devious side when he conceived (or just approved, I don't know) the ending to the race. The riders must make a right turn off the main highway and finish the course with a two mile climb (similar to Mars Hill) up to Marshall Lake. An ending like this makes a big difference for the racers and truly the race was decided in that last climb.
Unfortunately, I am usually not working at the finish line and I don't really keep track of who is winning unless I happen to know who they are (highly unlikely) but if you want to see the results you can find them on the race website. Also the team that FBO is most highly linked to is Summit Velo which has the majority of it's members down in Tucson with the remainder up in Flag.
Well this was probably pretty disjointed. . . I gotta admit that I'm a little tired after the drive from FLG to PHX and the flight from PHX to FLL. It seems my life has been reduced to a bunch of acronyms. I guess it could be worse, my life could be reduced to a bunch of limericks and haikus.
Flickr is down at the moment but I'll get pictures posted soon. . . and maybe a video posted on YouTube of a guy who crashed on a corner during the downtown crit.
Best to check out the website to the right if you want a more comprehensive rundown of the event but I will certainly enjoy giving you the highlights here. Saturday morning starts with a prologue time trial up Mars Hill which ends at the Lowell Observatory. (A time trial is where riders are sent off individually every few minutes.) I've never ridden this short stretch of road but most riders would describe it as "intensely painful." The strongest climbers will complete the hill in about two minutes but most people are well off that pace. For many riders this is the first time they have really pushed themselves in the seven-thousand foot altitude this year and I heard more than a few athletes say that the steep hill and thin air affected them well into the next stages of the race.
While I didn't have anything to do with the prologue up Mars Hill I was privileged enough to help set up the second stage that occurred on Saturday; the downtown criterion. (Roughly a "crit" is a loop that is less than one mile each lap. Riders go off in their respective categories (women, men, youth broken down into skill levels) and ride the circuit for a set number of minutes anywhere from about fifteen minutes up to forty minutes for the men's Category One and Two. If the leaders lap you then you get dropped and get your sorry butt off the course.) So, this downtown crit was just over half a mile and TC really pulled a rabbit out on this one. M0st of downtown Flag had to be shut down and the permit process took six months to complete. This portion of the event was arguably the most successful and highly noticed race that Flag Biking Org has ever put on. There were people all over the place, most businesses were booming downtown and people were wandering over from an art fair that was down in Wheeler Park. I actually don't have words to describe how great it was. . . it's the sort of thing that Flagstaff needs more often and the city will be crazy to deny the permit for next year.
Sunday brought another brilliant stage on the NAU campus. The course was a loop about two and a half miles long which means it is titled a circuit race instead of a crit. Once again riders compete within their specific categories. There were about eight different categories. Unfortunately, the roads weren't closed to traffic so that made volunteers very important for traffic control and there were also five NAUPD or FPD at different corners to keep people moving. Funny, the speed limit on most of the NAU campus is fifteen miles an hour but some of these riders were traveling AT LEAST twice that fast on the flat and downhill portions of the course. My role was to help organize volunteers and generally act as a runner over the whole course in case someone was injured or needed help in some way. This stage didn't draw nearly as many people as the downtown crit but it's understandable because of the location and longer course length.
The last stage is actually the easiest in terms of planning and volunteer coordination. A road race with three different lengths depending on what category you race. The longest route is eighty-four miles. The race started at Upper Lake Mary and turned around way out at Clint's Well to head right back pat Lake Mary. There is a little up and down to the race but TC truly showed his most devious side when he conceived (or just approved, I don't know) the ending to the race. The riders must make a right turn off the main highway and finish the course with a two mile climb (similar to Mars Hill) up to Marshall Lake. An ending like this makes a big difference for the racers and truly the race was decided in that last climb.
Unfortunately, I am usually not working at the finish line and I don't really keep track of who is winning unless I happen to know who they are (highly unlikely) but if you want to see the results you can find them on the race website. Also the team that FBO is most highly linked to is Summit Velo which has the majority of it's members down in Tucson with the remainder up in Flag.
Well this was probably pretty disjointed. . . I gotta admit that I'm a little tired after the drive from FLG to PHX and the flight from PHX to FLL. It seems my life has been reduced to a bunch of acronyms. I guess it could be worse, my life could be reduced to a bunch of limericks and haikus.
Flickr is down at the moment but I'll get pictures posted soon. . . and maybe a video posted on YouTube of a guy who crashed on a corner during the downtown crit.
5.23.2007
And We're Back. . .
Well, that's that. No problems with the flights. Got in yesterday afternoon. Had a drink with the roommate, had some sushi, went to bed. Felt pretty good this morning but it was pretty strange to "come into the office." Hasn't exactly bored me to death. Obviously everyone is still new to me and one of the managers showed me around and introduced me a little more thoroughly than before. Of course my laptop couldn't connect to the network when I first got in because of some settings that had been changed by the shipboard IT guys. Largest inbox load I've witnessed so far for my work account. Still can't find my second paycheck from back in April so payroll is cutting another one. Expense reports need to be approved by my boss who's on a medical leave so that won't happen. Good times all around.
Gotta get back to work but hoping to play with pictures and what not later at home. . . though maybe I'll just find a baseball game on the telly and veg out tonight. Made a whole list of things I 'should' take care of before I leave for AZ on Friday but I think we all know how that's gonna go. Who needs to change insurance on their car or buy new shoes or any of that crap anyway? Hell, if nothing else I need to find a laundry-by-the-pound place STAT cause my unpacked suitcase ain't lookin' too pretty.
The logistics of packing.
I knew I was unprepared for what I would face on drydock so my packing skills were tested. Here's a list of what I got rid of while on drydock and then the list of the items I acquired. The second list is rather large but I assure you that some of it was necessary.
Dropped:
Old pair of running shoes.
Really old pair of sandals.
Couple of old t-shirts that weren't fairing so well.
Gained:
One pair of heavy work pants (from one of the contractors).
Two pair of work gloves (cause I'm a cheap bastard and you can never have too many work gloves).
Seven t-shirts (three were for BB and all of them were free).
One record and four CDs (cause I can't just live somewhere for two months and not sample the music).
One Big**s Jar of Nutella (no explanation required).
One new CelebrityCruises deck jacket (pretty spiffy but like most things just doesn't quite fit me).
Bottle of wine (for the roommate).
AND four pair of Celebrity coveralls.
I feel like I'm forgetting a few things but since this isn't that interesting anyway. . . who cares. Needless to say my suitcase was a little overstuffed upon my return and found itself marked heavy (like it's owner) at the airport. Suppose I should find some work to do while I'm here. Maybe I'll enroll for some benefits. Now THAT sounds like some good times. Like my man Big Johnny or DC says. . . keep the rubber side down.
5.21.2007
Au Revoir
Most of this day I struggled with my motivation. Part of my problem is the realization that I am currently living amidst the worst mistake I have made during my seven weeks here. That mistake is not having trucks lined up in time to have the pier completely clear before my departure. Sort of SOP for the logistics team after a drydock. . . especially when there is no warehouse to count on. So, now I'm at the mercy of the port agents. Fred is getting back from a mini-holiday today and who knows if he'll be worth his salt tomorrow. Yann is working so many projects he can't even talk straight on the phone. Long and short is that I have done what I can to set everything up for the remaining containers and materials to be picked up. . . now it's just a matter of time.
On to better and weirder. I present to you the heavily armed octopus!
I must admit that I'm not really sure what's going on in this photo, even though I took it only yesterday. This fine display of beast adapting to man's ways is on display outside the maritime museum outside of Penmarc'h, France. I really don't even know what else to say about it. The word "silly" comes to my mind for the first time in quite a while.
Onto the travel! Looking forward to some classic travel fun tomorrow. It took my buddy KB three tries just to get out of Brest last week. Brest to Paris is a one-point-five hour commuter flight, People! and it nearly wrecked him. Similarly, BB's initial flight was Tuesday morning but the brakes were apparently not working on his plane in Paris so he ended up getting home on Friday. . . and don't forget that these flights are going backwards in time, not forwards. SO! What will be my travel fate tomorrow? Will the gods shine their favor upon me and cause me only to worry about the lack of legroom on the plane? ? ? or will I be doomed to suffer through the French for another week?
Well, that's it. Probably my last post from France. I'm sure I'll have something to bitch about after the flight home so until then. . . just keep rememberin' the good times.
On to better and weirder. I present to you the heavily armed octopus!
I must admit that I'm not really sure what's going on in this photo, even though I took it only yesterday. This fine display of beast adapting to man's ways is on display outside the maritime museum outside of Penmarc'h, France. I really don't even know what else to say about it. The word "silly" comes to my mind for the first time in quite a while.
Onto the travel! Looking forward to some classic travel fun tomorrow. It took my buddy KB three tries just to get out of Brest last week. Brest to Paris is a one-point-five hour commuter flight, People! and it nearly wrecked him. Similarly, BB's initial flight was Tuesday morning but the brakes were apparently not working on his plane in Paris so he ended up getting home on Friday. . . and don't forget that these flights are going backwards in time, not forwards. SO! What will be my travel fate tomorrow? Will the gods shine their favor upon me and cause me only to worry about the lack of legroom on the plane? ? ? or will I be doomed to suffer through the French for another week?
Well, that's it. Probably my last post from France. I'm sure I'll have something to bitch about after the flight home so until then. . . just keep rememberin' the good times.
5.20.2007
285
Climbed a few stairs today. Tw0-hundred and eighty-five to be exact. Took the slip 'n' slide back down though, so that was nice.
Drove quite a bit today. . . my last free day in France. Drove South again to a different peninsula that I haven't been to yet. Found some interesting points on the water and did a few things but as usual the weather was a bit of a downer and to be honest I'm gettin' pretty tired of just being here. One more day of work tomorrow and then I fly back to Miami. Already have a sushi dinner planned out with my roommate. Can't wait to have sushi again. But I've got two more possible dinners here so I suppose I should make the best of 'em.
Caught the FA Cup match yesterday between Manchester United and Chelsea. Match ended in a 0-0 tie but in the second overtime period Chelsea ended the scoring drought with a nice give and go lead by Drogba. Not my favorite player but it was a clean goal and a helluva way to end a good match. Lookin' forward to getting home and catching a baseball game and maybe the end of the NBA playoffs. Though I'll probably only be able to stand a few minutes of it cause I'll be yelling at the screen the whole time. "Travel, travel. Foul, palming, travel, you suck!" Or something like that. Maybe I'll have to do a little research on Euro teams and just pick one to follow. Maybe somebody well known but not at the top. That'd be like looking at baseball and choosing to root for the Yankees. Can't believe I just soiled my blog with that name. Go A's.
I suppose I'll stop procrastinating now. I still have a few manifests and other paperwork to get finished. Tomorrow will be busy enough without me being unprepared. Jebus, it's like I was a Boy Scout or something. Oh yeah, managed to lose my old Cali cell phone. Okay, maybe it got stolen onboard the cruise ship but I doubt anyone would be dumb enough to steal a phone that doesn't work overseas. If it doesn't turn up I may be in a slightly bad way in terms of phone numbers. Might have to send out another choice mass email asking people for their info. Don't you just love those?
Off to pretend that I'm productive.
Drove quite a bit today. . . my last free day in France. Drove South again to a different peninsula that I haven't been to yet. Found some interesting points on the water and did a few things but as usual the weather was a bit of a downer and to be honest I'm gettin' pretty tired of just being here. One more day of work tomorrow and then I fly back to Miami. Already have a sushi dinner planned out with my roommate. Can't wait to have sushi again. But I've got two more possible dinners here so I suppose I should make the best of 'em.
Caught the FA Cup match yesterday between Manchester United and Chelsea. Match ended in a 0-0 tie but in the second overtime period Chelsea ended the scoring drought with a nice give and go lead by Drogba. Not my favorite player but it was a clean goal and a helluva way to end a good match. Lookin' forward to getting home and catching a baseball game and maybe the end of the NBA playoffs. Though I'll probably only be able to stand a few minutes of it cause I'll be yelling at the screen the whole time. "Travel, travel. Foul, palming, travel, you suck!" Or something like that. Maybe I'll have to do a little research on Euro teams and just pick one to follow. Maybe somebody well known but not at the top. That'd be like looking at baseball and choosing to root for the Yankees. Can't believe I just soiled my blog with that name. Go A's.
I suppose I'll stop procrastinating now. I still have a few manifests and other paperwork to get finished. Tomorrow will be busy enough without me being unprepared. Jebus, it's like I was a Boy Scout or something. Oh yeah, managed to lose my old Cali cell phone. Okay, maybe it got stolen onboard the cruise ship but I doubt anyone would be dumb enough to steal a phone that doesn't work overseas. If it doesn't turn up I may be in a slightly bad way in terms of phone numbers. Might have to send out another choice mass email asking people for their info. Don't you just love those?
Off to pretend that I'm productive.
5.19.2007
Halloween Come Early
So my Uncle Lee has taken my randumb mentionings of gnomes to heart and sent me pictures of golden gnomes and information on the underwear gnomes of SouthPark. But this time he's outdone himself.
That wasn't so bad but the next one may put people off their lunch a little.
Thanks a lot, Uncle Lee. That's all I needed. . . to be uglier.
On a better looking note the Real Gnome done went and created a little Gnomie Jr. of his own. Congrats to Ang and Dave on their new baby boy. I can't wait to see him Memorial Day weekend. www.onespeeder.com
Well, it's my last weekend in France. I've got a little work to do on Monday but I'm free today and tomorrow. Probably gonna take a drive down to Penmarc'h and maybe back up through Pointe Du Raz. . . see if I can get some quality pics of light houses and whatnot. I might call one of riggers who worked for me tonight cause his family owns a couple of restaurants and a bar. He's about my age but has a girlfriend and a kid and another one on the way. Quite the opposite of me in that regard. I don't even have a dog. Hell, I don't even have a houseplant.
Last interesting tidbit for the day; I couldn't get some of the containers shipped yesterday cause they found a WWII bomb in the harbor and they are taking it further out to detonate it today. The Germans used Brest as a U-boat station during the war and I guess the Brits and Americans bombed everything so thoroughly that they still find undetonated ordinance every once in a while. Fun.
That wasn't so bad but the next one may put people off their lunch a little.
Thanks a lot, Uncle Lee. That's all I needed. . . to be uglier.
On a better looking note the Real Gnome done went and created a little Gnomie Jr. of his own. Congrats to Ang and Dave on their new baby boy. I can't wait to see him Memorial Day weekend. www.onespeeder.com
Well, it's my last weekend in France. I've got a little work to do on Monday but I'm free today and tomorrow. Probably gonna take a drive down to Penmarc'h and maybe back up through Pointe Du Raz. . . see if I can get some quality pics of light houses and whatnot. I might call one of riggers who worked for me tonight cause his family owns a couple of restaurants and a bar. He's about my age but has a girlfriend and a kid and another one on the way. Quite the opposite of me in that regard. I don't even have a dog. Hell, I don't even have a houseplant.
Last interesting tidbit for the day; I couldn't get some of the containers shipped yesterday cause they found a WWII bomb in the harbor and they are taking it further out to detonate it today. The Germans used Brest as a U-boat station during the war and I guess the Brits and Americans bombed everything so thoroughly that they still find undetonated ordinance every once in a while. Fun.
5.18.2007
Hasta La Bye-Bye
Whelp, that's it. Sorta.
The Constellation pulled away early this morning. I last wrote on Tuesday and now it's Friday. Can anyone guess what the days in between were like? Believe me though when I say that I'm not complaining but rather just trying to truly appreciate how nice it is not to have the weight of a hundred-thousand tonnes of cruise ship on my shoulders. 'Cause you know, I ran the engines, the hotel, the dock, the bridge, the galleys. . .EVERYTHING!
Okay, my part is only a little one but it's a little more integral that the hotel replacing duvets that are only 2 years old or carpet that's newer than that. Hell, I think my old mattress was more comfortable than the new one! Irony (said in a sing-song voice).
As I get a few more pictures uploaded I'll try to tell more stories from the last month for you logistics junkies but as of right now I have reverse and tangential logistics to worry about. Gotta get five containers back to Miami, one to Copenhagen and one to Denmark. And of course the one for Copenhagen isn't packed yet, so there goes the afternoon. Then I need to get three pallets to Norway, five pallets to Sweden, one pallet to Germany and two pallets to the Millennium when she comes in to Barcelona. Now if I could just figure out a way to deliver all those pallets myself and spend a few days in each place after delivery. All in favor of me becoming a truck driver in Europe say, "Aye-aye!"
Must still be a little loopy. Had a decent time last night after a fairly good day of work. Ended up at one of the bars on the ship with a VP, the hotel director, the project manager for the new gift shops, the lead project manager for new build operations and some high-up cat in Environmental and Safety. Nothing better than finally being able to let down your working guard a little bit. Of course we still talked about work but we all felt pretty good about the job we had just finished on the Constellation so we were able to vocalize manure about other jobs we had been on.
I suppose these things ain't gonna ship themselves. Paperwork abounds and I am bound by it. . . for the moment.
The Constellation pulled away early this morning. I last wrote on Tuesday and now it's Friday. Can anyone guess what the days in between were like? Believe me though when I say that I'm not complaining but rather just trying to truly appreciate how nice it is not to have the weight of a hundred-thousand tonnes of cruise ship on my shoulders. 'Cause you know, I ran the engines, the hotel, the dock, the bridge, the galleys. . .EVERYTHING!
Okay, my part is only a little one but it's a little more integral that the hotel replacing duvets that are only 2 years old or carpet that's newer than that. Hell, I think my old mattress was more comfortable than the new one! Irony (said in a sing-song voice).
As I get a few more pictures uploaded I'll try to tell more stories from the last month for you logistics junkies but as of right now I have reverse and tangential logistics to worry about. Gotta get five containers back to Miami, one to Copenhagen and one to Denmark. And of course the one for Copenhagen isn't packed yet, so there goes the afternoon. Then I need to get three pallets to Norway, five pallets to Sweden, one pallet to Germany and two pallets to the Millennium when she comes in to Barcelona. Now if I could just figure out a way to deliver all those pallets myself and spend a few days in each place after delivery. All in favor of me becoming a truck driver in Europe say, "Aye-aye!"
Must still be a little loopy. Had a decent time last night after a fairly good day of work. Ended up at one of the bars on the ship with a VP, the hotel director, the project manager for the new gift shops, the lead project manager for new build operations and some high-up cat in Environmental and Safety. Nothing better than finally being able to let down your working guard a little bit. Of course we still talked about work but we all felt pretty good about the job we had just finished on the Constellation so we were able to vocalize manure about other jobs we had been on.
I suppose these things ain't gonna ship themselves. Paperwork abounds and I am bound by it. . . for the moment.
5.15.2007
Five Is Enough
The housekeeping crew from the Constellation offloaded five, forty-foot containers full of linen today. . . by hand. . . over a fifty-foot gangway. . .amidst a fiercely blowing wind. . . in a freezing cold rain. . .uphill. . . both ways. Five.
Unfortunately, the material was a little too sensitive to use the claw in this picture. . . that was reserved for the old mattresses.
I can't tell you how many boxes there were of sheets and duvets and bed covers and pillow cases and sheets and sheets and sheets. As my father would undoubtedly say, "A sheetload of sheets." Pretty impressive that they could do it and pretty unimpressive that I couldn't get a single one of those containers up to the top deck where the unloading would be easier. I'm gonna go ahead and blame the wind but we all know that a first rate logistics manager would have figured out a way.
In other news I scored three free beers on the pier today. I was rewarded in true truck-driver fashion by two different truck drivers. The first driver who ponied up the suds was the last truck of linen for the day and there was some serious question as to whether or not we were going to get him unloaded in a timely fashion. His paperwork was stuck in customs with the agent and I had about a hundred guys for the unloading waiting inside a spare forty-foot container during a decent rainstorm. I'm not kidding, unfortunately I didn't have my camera on me today but there was an empty container right next to the truck we were waiting to discharge so BB had the idea to open it up and let the guys wait inside. Awesome idea, crazy result. Literally one-hundred guys waiting inside a forty-footer. Strange days.
So, point is that customs clearance came through just in time and the housekeeping crew rocked the virtual Casbah and had that bad boy unloaded in less than an hour. Truck driver was so happy he stopped me in the driving rain before he pulled away and planted two cans of Grolsch into my hands. Sah-wheat.
Last beer was scored from an Italian trucker who arrived after five o'clock with mattresses. . . yup, mattresses. Anyway, we initially told him he wouldn't be discharged till tomorrow morning but pity was taken and we found a few extra guys to offload him. Some dirt, a good sweat and two empty (now full) containers later and we had one happy trucker on our hands. . . I dunn gone and gots me a Birra Meroni for that one. The Grolsch was warm but the Meroni was cold and it was the last stitch of real work I did today. It's the little things, ya know?
Guess I'm leading up to the inevitable statement of, "Boo-hoo. Woe is me. I'm tired and want to go to bed." But I ain't singin' no drinkin' song from "Jaws" and I'd really rather be up and kickin'. Too bad I have to be responsible for a while longer. Million things more to write but my eyes tell me that this is probably getting too long for my limited readers. Not that my readers are limited. . . except in number.
Time for a Grolsch. Cheers.
Unfortunately, the material was a little too sensitive to use the claw in this picture. . . that was reserved for the old mattresses.
I can't tell you how many boxes there were of sheets and duvets and bed covers and pillow cases and sheets and sheets and sheets. As my father would undoubtedly say, "A sheetload of sheets." Pretty impressive that they could do it and pretty unimpressive that I couldn't get a single one of those containers up to the top deck where the unloading would be easier. I'm gonna go ahead and blame the wind but we all know that a first rate logistics manager would have figured out a way.
In other news I scored three free beers on the pier today. I was rewarded in true truck-driver fashion by two different truck drivers. The first driver who ponied up the suds was the last truck of linen for the day and there was some serious question as to whether or not we were going to get him unloaded in a timely fashion. His paperwork was stuck in customs with the agent and I had about a hundred guys for the unloading waiting inside a spare forty-foot container during a decent rainstorm. I'm not kidding, unfortunately I didn't have my camera on me today but there was an empty container right next to the truck we were waiting to discharge so BB had the idea to open it up and let the guys wait inside. Awesome idea, crazy result. Literally one-hundred guys waiting inside a forty-footer. Strange days.
So, point is that customs clearance came through just in time and the housekeeping crew rocked the virtual Casbah and had that bad boy unloaded in less than an hour. Truck driver was so happy he stopped me in the driving rain before he pulled away and planted two cans of Grolsch into my hands. Sah-wheat.
Last beer was scored from an Italian trucker who arrived after five o'clock with mattresses. . . yup, mattresses. Anyway, we initially told him he wouldn't be discharged till tomorrow morning but pity was taken and we found a few extra guys to offload him. Some dirt, a good sweat and two empty (now full) containers later and we had one happy trucker on our hands. . . I dunn gone and gots me a Birra Meroni for that one. The Grolsch was warm but the Meroni was cold and it was the last stitch of real work I did today. It's the little things, ya know?
Guess I'm leading up to the inevitable statement of, "Boo-hoo. Woe is me. I'm tired and want to go to bed." But I ain't singin' no drinkin' song from "Jaws" and I'd really rather be up and kickin'. Too bad I have to be responsible for a while longer. Million things more to write but my eyes tell me that this is probably getting too long for my limited readers. Not that my readers are limited. . . except in number.
Time for a Grolsch. Cheers.
5.13.2007
Need A Lift?
The driver of the smaller forklift is Yann Caradec who is another of our port agents from the same company as Fred. If you can't guess what happened here, Yann went and got himself stuck on the rail and we needed the larger forklift to come over and help us out. This is the kind of thing that seems to happen everyday but mostly whenever you've got a really hot truck you need to discharge. The problem with these trucks that come in for deliveries is that they are often poorly loaded and their bosses have only allowed a few hours between their delivery to us and their next scheduled pick up. This would be all well and good if I knew what time the trucks would be arriving and what was inside so I could plan a little bit ahead. But as is often the case the truck we were unloading when Yann decided to beach himself on that rail had another pickup scheduled within the hour. In case you're wondering, YES, Yann is going above and beyond the call of duty by driving that forklift himself. Normally port agents shuffle more paperwork than pallets. But this shipyard has no warehouse and therefore no warehouse workers, forklifts or anything else so myself and the port agents spent an awful lot of time on that little forklift. . . and for me the party is just beginning because the ship is leaving on Friday and I'll be here cleaning off the pier and shipping various things to various places for a few days after and somebody has got to load those trucks.
And now it's time to fall off my soapbox and use the contents to shower instead of holding up my ego.
Today is Sunday. I can't say that it's been a rough day as far as work is concerned but just being around the same people in such close quarters for so many days is starting to get a little old. Need to spice things up a bit so I might head into town tonight and see if I can magically catch the Warriors playoff game. Doubt it'll happen but a man can dream and I've heard of this new device called a Sat&Light that is supposed to be able to pull images from the air and put them on any tv on Earth. Crazy. Now how do you say, "Golden State Warriors Basketball Rules, " in French.
And now that I've typed all that I just looked up the time of the game and Six O'Clock PM in Utah is about Two O'Clock AM here. . . so maybe I'll just check the score when I get up in the morning. How does that sound? Good? Good. Bon (good in French).
Actually at this point I'm already forgetting about learning more French and thinking about my German. . . or lack thereof. The next scheduled dry-dockings are in Hamburg next fall. Similar situation to what I'm in now with two ships going into the same dock, one right after the other and having similar work done. I doubt I'll be there the whole time for that those two but it has occurred to me to take a beginning German class this summer (if I can find one amongst the Spanish classes in Miami) and try to make myself a serious asset on the next dry-dock. Just a thought.
Well, there's quite a few more thoughts up there rattling around but most of them probably ain't worth the grey matter they take up. Irregardlessly, I should probably go have a shower and a beer to try to eliminate some of those rattles. Maybe I'll try ringin' the ol' madre to wish her a happy Mother's Day first. For those of you who haven't already done so I strongly recommend it. . . cause even if you don't love it, she will. Damn, jumped right back up on that box again and didn't even notice.
To answer a little quote from Family Guy that only a few people will get. . . . . . ."Yes, it is lonely up here on my pedastal."
And now it's time to fall off my soapbox and use the contents to shower instead of holding up my ego.
Today is Sunday. I can't say that it's been a rough day as far as work is concerned but just being around the same people in such close quarters for so many days is starting to get a little old. Need to spice things up a bit so I might head into town tonight and see if I can magically catch the Warriors playoff game. Doubt it'll happen but a man can dream and I've heard of this new device called a Sat&Light that is supposed to be able to pull images from the air and put them on any tv on Earth. Crazy. Now how do you say, "Golden State Warriors Basketball Rules, " in French.
And now that I've typed all that I just looked up the time of the game and Six O'Clock PM in Utah is about Two O'Clock AM here. . . so maybe I'll just check the score when I get up in the morning. How does that sound? Good? Good. Bon (good in French).
Actually at this point I'm already forgetting about learning more French and thinking about my German. . . or lack thereof. The next scheduled dry-dockings are in Hamburg next fall. Similar situation to what I'm in now with two ships going into the same dock, one right after the other and having similar work done. I doubt I'll be there the whole time for that those two but it has occurred to me to take a beginning German class this summer (if I can find one amongst the Spanish classes in Miami) and try to make myself a serious asset on the next dry-dock. Just a thought.
Well, there's quite a few more thoughts up there rattling around but most of them probably ain't worth the grey matter they take up. Irregardlessly, I should probably go have a shower and a beer to try to eliminate some of those rattles. Maybe I'll try ringin' the ol' madre to wish her a happy Mother's Day first. For those of you who haven't already done so I strongly recommend it. . . cause even if you don't love it, she will. Damn, jumped right back up on that box again and didn't even notice.
To answer a little quote from Family Guy that only a few people will get. . . . . . ."Yes, it is lonely up here on my pedastal."
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