Weird weather

So since we've been back from the cruise, the temperature's been rather warm, in the 50s to near 60. Today we woke up and it was about 10. What the f**k?

Guess I shouldn't complain too much. About 10 inches of snow on the ground in Iowa, and about 20 on the ground in Waukegan, Ill., where my friend KC lives. And it's been about 10 degrees there for about a month.

Oh to be back on the boat. I'm already checking for cruises for next year. But it'll be at least March of 2009 before we can do anything since Ed starts his new job Monday. He's leaving the Comfort Inn DC for The Melrose in downtown DC. I think he'll be much happier.

But I won't be until I'm back on another boat about a year from now...

The cruise ...

... As I said in a previous post, our trip to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands is over. But what a cruise it was. I can't wait until the next one, maybe next year with Ed's parents.

Jamaica was beautiful, but very poor. In contrast, Grand Cayman was gorgeous and rich, the complete opposite of Jamaica. And while I had a GREAT time in both countries, the ziplining canopy tour in Jamaica was one of the highlights of the trip. We did a 4x4 Jeep adventure in Grand Cayman, but the weather had been dry lately, so the four-wheeling was somewhat of a letdown. But we did get to see a lot of the island, and we visited Hell, which was a trip in and of itself.

Ed has set up a website with lots of pictures, and if you visit his blog you'll get to see a funny video of a woman who's dancing leaves a lot to be desired. But it was quite funny.

More to come ...

The day has arrived ...

... Well, it's here. Ed and I leave early this afternoon for Miami, where we'll board the cruise ship Celebrity Century tomorrow for our trip to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. It'll be our fourth cruise in four years.

I'm telling you, it's the only way to vacation.

Both of us are really looking forward to getting away for awhile. Work for both of us has been a b*tch -- in fact, when we get back Ed will be changing jobs. Lord knows if I could find a new job, I'd be doing the same thing. Josh is here from Arkansas to watch the dogs, and in fact, will be finding a job himself while he's here.

I'll be in contact with all my family while we're gone, especially my sister Sue, who underwent her first chemotherapy treatment yesterday. The doctors told her she'll lose every hair on her body in the next couple of weeks (yikes!). But, she only has to undergo four treatments, which is much less than originally planned. And she's already found a wig.

In the meantime, the latest slice of heaven awaits. Talk to you all in about a week.

Ziplining through Jamaica ...

This is what Ed and I will be doing when we get to Ocho Rios, Jamaica. I can't wait ...

It's a little bit chilly ...

I know it's nothing like what my sister Cheryl is having to deal with right now in Des Moines (it's 9 degrees), but it feels like 9 here with the windchill. The real temperature is 23, but with a 25-mph wind out of the northwest, it feels like 9.

It's the coldest air of the winter so far here in the D.C. area. Which is fine. But if it's going to be this cold, it might as well snow. We missed out on another big storm yesterday. It stayed south in the Carolinas.

Oh well. What do I really care anyway. This time next week I'll be cruising in the Caribbean, on my way to Jamaica.

So I've got that going for me. Which is nice.

Family ties...

We're one day closer to our cruise. We leave Jan. 25 for Miami, where we'll spend one night before hopping aboard the Celebrity Century the next day on our way to Jamaica and the Caymans.

My nephew Josh is coming to watch the dogs again. He arrives on Jan. 23, and his stay is likely to be quite lengthy. Things aren't going well with him at home in Arkansas, so Ed and I have opened up our house to him with the hopes that he might be able to find a job here and get his feet firmly planted on the ground somewhere else. I think the best thing for him would be to get out of Arkansas and start over. We'll see if he agrees.

My sister Cheryl and her other half Val will be making a visit, too. They will be coming in late April to see the Cubs and Nationals play at the new Nationals Ballpark. Ed and I have season tickets (half-season plan) so we're assured of at least one game. So when single-game tickets go on sale, I'll need to be right there trying to get them tickets because it's probably going to be a bitch getting tickets for one of the biggest series of the year.

As for the rest of the family? Should hear from Sue tomorrow about her bone scans last week. Hopefully there'll be good news coming there.

Brenda? She's going to graduate from college next May. Couldn't be prouder of her. She still has some issues to work out at home, but overall her life is really heading in the right direction.

Brother Ron continues to live in Little Rock. Every time I talk to him he asks if he can "borrow" some money. We've all pretty much figured he has a box stored away in a closet somewhere overflowing with $20 bills.

Cruisin'...

Three weeks from today Ed and I will be on the Celebrity Century, cruising on our way to Ocho Rios, Jamaica. From there it's on to the Cayman Islands before the return trip to Miami.

Can't wait. I've been driving Ed crazy about hotel rooms before and after the trip, constantly going to the website to check prices (we really got a pretty good deal -- 5 nights, $309 each, not counting excursions, gratuties, etc.). Before the trip was listed as SOLD OUT this morning, Inside Staterooms were going for as high as $800 at one point! They did come back down before selling out.

Anyway, we're going to to a zipline tour excursion in Jamaica. It'll probably be as close as I ever get to actually doing The Amazing Race. In Grand Cayman, we're going to do a Jeep 4x4 adventure. We did one in Cozumel on our first cruise. If this one is anything like that one, it's going to be a blast.

This will probably be our only vacation/big trip this year. Money's going to be a bit tighter since we've had some work done on the house ... and with layoffs/buyouts at work, I think we're going to have to keep a closer eye on the bottom line.

I haven't even decided yet if I'm going to play softball this year. Oh I'm going to definitely play/coach on my work team, but I'm wavering on my Sunday Gay league team, NITRO. I really like the team and those guys will always be my best friends. But you just have to wonder how long the window's going to be open for us to ever win the NAGAAA Gay World Series. We thought we'd have done it by now. Oh well. We'll see.

But you know what? It's too soon to be thinking softball. Our cruise awaits -- and then hopefully about two feet of snow when we get back...then I'll worry about playing with balls.

Close, but yet so far away

Christmas is over dammit. My favorite time of year -- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, packed malls the Saturday before the big day, but no snow -- again -- this year. One of these years I'd like to see a blizzard roll through here on Christmas Eve, dumping about 15 inches of snow. Now THAT would be a Christmas to remember.

Got some great gifts though -- an iPhone from Ed and a Cubs Derrek Lee jersey from my sister top the list.

And Christmas may be over, but that just means we're another day closer to our next cruise. Ed and I are going to Jamaica and the Grand Caymans on a five-night Celebrity cruise aboard Century. Can't wait. I don't know if we'll ever really vacation any other way than cruising.

After that? Pitchers and catchers report in mid-February, softball arrives in April and the Cubs win the World Series next October with new Japanese import Kosuke Fukudome being named MVP after Kerry Wood saves Game 7 at Wrigley Field against the Detroit Tigers.

I can dream, right?

Rudolph and Hermie courtesy CBS

Seriously, how much did these people drink?

2 recovered alive after falling from cruise ship in Gulf of Mexico

GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — A man and woman fell overboard from a cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico early Sunday, but both were rescued after a four-hour search and appeared to be in good condition, a cruise line spokeswoman said.

The 22-year-old man and 20-year-old woman fell 50-60 feet from a cabin balcony, said Julie Benson, spokeswoman for Princess Cruises. She said the cruise line did not know how they fell overboard. Their ship, Princess Cruise’s Grand Princess, was about 150 miles off the coast of Galveston, Texas, at the time.

The captain turned the ship around after friends of the man and woman notified the crew at about 1:30 a.m. CT that they had gone overboard, Benson said. The ship’s crew used high-powered spotlights and rescue boats in the search. One passenger was rescued by the ship’s boats at 5:30 a.m. and the other at 6 a.m., according to a statement by the cruise line.

The search was aided by the Coast Guard, said Lt. j.g. Jillian Lamb at the District 8 Command Center. A nearby cruise ship also offered assistance, she said.

The man and woman, whom the cruise line declined to name, were examined by the ship’s medical staff. "They appear to be in satisfactory condition and we hope that no further medical attention will be needed," Benson said.

Grand Princess was carrying 2,783 passengers on a seven-day tour of the western Caribbean.

More cruise photos ...

... Ed burned a CD/DVD of all of our cruise photos, and even put many of them online. Click here

These are just a few of my favorites -- including parasailing of course. One of the guys running the boat was one of the hottest guys I've ever seen -- after my Ed of course. Actually, both guys were hot.

Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic was beautiful, but there was just nothing to do there. We went on a "Kayak Adventure," if you want to call it that. We also found this flower, which I thought was fascinating. Before it blooms it looks like one of those pods from the movie Alien.


St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands was, as usual, the best stop on the trip. It was Ed and I's second trip there. We decided we could live there. Here's a picture of Cheryl, Val, Ed and I at Paradise Point, which overlooks the marina/harbor.



The water in the Bahamas was stunning. So blue and crystal clear. Would like to go back there when we have more time.

Until next time ...

I'm back!

Sadly, the cruise is over and I'm already back at work.

But what a fantastic 8 days it was. Every stop -- Casa de Campo, San Juan, St. Thomas and Nassau -- had its own quirks and charms, but it was St. Thomas that again was the highlight of the trip. Living there would not be hard.

We parasailed for the first time. Was that fun or what? We went up about 400 feet for about 10 minutes. I could have stayed up there 10 hours. We're still going through pictures, so none to post yet, but as soon as we get them downloaded, I'll share.

The weather for the whole trip was picture perfect, though it was a bit windy in the Bahamas. The food was delicious -- our final night dinner at the Olympic Restaurant aboard the Celebrity Millennium was the best meal of the trip and well worth the added cost for a little bit of pampering.

There was a group of 15 of us -- that's all of us at left during the life boat drill. We literally turned that ship upside down. As soon as we walked on that boat, it was a gay cruise. Fun was had by all.

There was one upper and one downer after I got back. Went to wash my clothes, looked into two pants pockets and found $300! I had wondered why my cash had seemed to disappear so quickly. And I got my cellphone bill today -- for 4 minutes of calls on the trip, I was billed $64 in roaming charges. Ouch.

All in all a great trip. I'll be posting about this cruise until our next one -- which we are already planning. We'll either do a tour of European capitals or a cruise through the Panama Canal.

The picture at the top is as we were pulling out of St. Thomas. It had been a beautiful day and a little rain storm came in creating this beautiful rainbow.

A kink in the cruise II

Well, it definitely looks like Ed will have to pull an overnighter on Saturday. But he's arranged for somebody to come in at 6 a.m., which means he can hop on the train and meet us at the airport Sunday morning. We'll take him to work Saturday night so he doesn't have to worry about his car being at the hotel for 8 days.

So, all in all, a definitely workable situation. LaGuardia hopefully will be a breeze. Ed's concern is getting the luggage on the boat.

Me? I don't care as long as I'm on the boat. American Airlines can deliver my luggage in the Dominican Republic or San Juan for all I care.

I just need a vacation and some warm temperatures ... especially after the 2 inches of snow we got yesterday.

A kink in the cruise ...

It's just never easy, is it?

Here we are about 4 days away and the first problem has popped up. Ed might have to work overnight Saturday, and our plane leaves at 7:50 a.m. Sunday morning, which means we have to be at Reagan National by at least 6:30.

Sunday's going to be hectic enough as it is. We have 45 minutes to catch our flight to Fort Lauderdale once we get to New York. I checked, and we arrive and depart at the same terminal, so making our connection won't be a problem. Once we make that flight, I think we're good to go because the port in Fort Lauderdale is only about 5 minutes from the airport. We arrive at 1 and the boat leaves at 4:30.

Hopefully, something can be worked out so Ed doesn't have to rush to the airport Sunday. We've been looking forward to this for a year.

We'll figure something out.

Gym update

Isn't this a lovely picture? And before anybody asks, NO, neither one is me.

Have I have said how much I hate the gym? I really do despise it. But you can't argue with results.

When I started this trek Jan. 16, I weighed 189 pounds. Today, I'm down to 174. My ultimate goal is between 160 and 165, which is what I've weighed most of my life (except for high school, when I weighed about 180. I called it baby fat, but I digress).

Seriously, if there was another way to do this without having to go to the gym or workout, I'd do it.

But I'll keep at it. The cruise is only a week away and softball is right behind.

And as far as looking like Charles Atlas? Umm, sure. Like that's going to happen. IF I did everything the trainer said I MIGHT look like Charles Atlas.

I'll do my thing and be happy with the results. Or not.

Packing day

Today Ed and I are going to get the majority of our packing done for the cruise, which is now only 8 days away. It's going to take forever to get here, then it's going to be gone in a flash. Anyway ... we're doing most of the packing today because by the end of the week, when Josh, Cheryl and Val get here, it'll be too busy around the house to get anything done.

Our plan is to take two individual bags, a hanging bag, Ed's computer and my backpack. I found two Reebok bags at Target (don't you just love Target?) yesterday for $24.99 each. Perfect size and great price. The hanging bag is for our formal night clothing. The backpack will come in handy when we're out on our excursions. The computer is coming for one main reason -- so we can get our NCAA Tournament pools in on time. And to recharge our iPods. And who travels anywhere without a computer anymore?

We just have to remember to leave a little space in one of the bags for any souvenirs we might bring back. And I know of several coming back from the Bacardi Rum distillery in San Juan.

I just had a "discussion" about this with Ed, who didn't see the need to take a hanging bag. First, wrinkles. Second, see above.

Space Shuttle Atlantis flight postponed

And why do I care? First, I love everything about the space program. Second, I would fly on that thing in a heartbeat. Third, I was hoping we'd get to see it blast off from the Celebrity Millenium from somewhere in the Eastern Caribbean at 6:30 a.m. on March 15.

But because of hail damage to the external tank from a freak thunderstorm yesterday, they're going to wheel Atlantis back to the assembly building for repairs, which means no liftoff until late April at the earliest.

You don't suppose I could plan another cruise, do you?

Atlantis photo courtesy of NASA

The Madness that is March

Hmmm. Dilemma. Selection Sunday for the men's NCAA Tournament is next Sunday, March 11. We'll be on a boat headed for the Dominican Republic when all the teams are announced, and we'll be in St. Thomas when the Tournament begins the following Thursday.

The problem is this: We'll be there, they'll be here. Along with the brackets. The brackets that myself and about 500 of my closest friends fill out to try and win about $3,000.

Unless we are able to fax our picks or send them by computer, this may be the first year in many that we aren't entered in the pool. I know Wisconsin's Bucky the Badger will be very upset.

But hey, sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

Cruisin' III

Two weeks from today. And it can't get here soon enough. I just hope the weather we're going through now stays away the weekend we leave. What it does after that I don't give a crap. Just get me on that boat...

Cruisin' II

Slowly but surely, the day draws near. Our cruise of the Eastern Caribbean aboard the Celebrity Millenium starts March 11. But we went ahead an booked our excursions to make sure we got what we wanted.

Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic: A kayak adventure.
San Juan, Puerto Rico: City tour and a tour of the Bacardi distillery. Now that should be fun!
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas: Tram tour of the city and PARASAILING!!! I've always wanted to parasail. Can't wait.
Bahamas: Blackbeard's Cay Beach Break. Sitting on the beach will be a nice way to end our cruise.

I know we'll have a great time with Cheryl and Val. My softball friends, Tim and Jim, arranged the cruise about a year ago. There are four or five other couples going, but the only other couple we know are Quag and Todd.

Should be interesting, to say the least.

Working my fat ass off

Another day, another trip to the gym.

I went to the doctor in early January, and when he put me on the scales, that's all it took. I weighed 189, the most I've weighed in many years. I lost 20-25 pounds almost four years ago, but gained that back and then some.

But going to the gym every day and cutting down on what I eat have worked wonders. I'm now down to 177 -- eventually I want to get down to between 160-165.

It also helps that we have a cruise coming up in less than three weeks, and softball season will be following close behind -- and that will be the barometer that tells me if all my work has been for nothing.

More updates to come.